This is a guest post by Mr. Saurabh Dhawan of India Medi Treat. You can get in touch with him at saurabh [dot] 3767 [at] gmail [dot] com.

The Article by Mr. Vikas Rikhye is a bitter truth which every Gurgaon resident mall realizes but somewhere doesn’t want to agree that the Retailers in Gurgaon are truly striving for existence. A lot of times while going towards Delhi from my old Gurgaon residence I feel like having a burger and ice tea but I don’t reason being are many, firstly the traffic, secondly the economy (spending Rs.30 as parking for a Rs.20 Burger is scary) and you cant stop your car for five minutes even as the recovery vans can take your cars. These are very basic things but this is what is eating the customer from the malls.

The builders sold the shops in mall at a time when stock market, economy, real estate market all were roaring high which meant higher purchasing power of people and the fact is that people in Gurgaon had good money and were willing to spend for good products. This lead to increased rentals for shops along with a heavy maintenance for upkeep of the mall. But no one was complaining as cash was the king.

Repercussions of financial meltdown on Gurgaon Shopping Malls

Now in post Sub-prime era the things have changed the real estate market has corrected badly, the Stock market is below 10,000 points and the big builders are looking for some shelter. The US sub prime has effected jobs in India, people have been given pink slips and uncertainty is prevailing among people who are in job whether there job is safe or not. This hysteria has resulted in reduced consumer spending and there is no doubt that the next two years are going to be tough for retailers and only the fittest will survive.

The retailers need to re-look into their marketing strategies. While walking through these deserted malls I realized that everyone had one thing in common. SALE yes guys SALE. From 20% to 70%, 50%+40%, buy 1 get 1, buy 2 get 3, buy 2 get 6 and so on. But I thought does their target market really knows it. The answer I guess is no. these malls don’t have heavy foot falls to attract there prospective customers.

I liked the way Kishore Biyani made money on our republic day. The Big Bazaar’s SABSE SASTE 3 DIN 24,25,26 January was a super hit. Big Bazaar advertised heavily from internet, mails, newspapers and YELLOWPAGES and community portals. The guy can surely make people run for money. What he did was buy in bulk and sell in bulk by passing the profits to customer. What was interested to note was that a good proportion of its sales came from its Online portal. Mr. Biyani was always sure that his Online store will be a hit among people in Metros and I guess he was true.

Now coming onto the small retailers I guess the need of the hour for them is to reach their customer desperately. They cannot go in for Signage as it is not affordable, a front page of news paper is too expensive for small to medium retailers but YELLOW PAGES sites( like www.yellowpagesgurgaon.com ) can be a comparatively cheap and effective medium. The customers who shop in malls are generally youth and people working in and around Gurgaon who are generally well read and computer savvy. By advertising there Special offers and seasonal discounts and sending mails to their customers through internet marketers the retailers can easily reach their customers. This is not something new and retailers in cities like New York and Melbourne have practiced with success. This out of the box effective medium can be a good savior for the retailers in the city. As it is said that winners don’t do different things but they do the things differently. Both have to reach the customer but it depends how you reach and how effectively you reach.

Vikas Rikhye, Real Estate Blogger

About four years back Gurgaon shopping malls emerged a “Feather in a cap” in Gurgaon’s progress. Enthusiastic investors & retailers with optimistic vision & positive attitude attracted customers from all walks of life and in no time City center , MGF-Metropolitan & Sahara Mall became most happening place. Delhi shoppers also found a new shopping experience .Besides the swanky crowd, the visitor from neighboring villages & towns witnessed the glory modern shopping.

With visual prosperity, new “Real estate Players” jumped into building of Shopping Malls & the also received massive support from investors, retailers & real estate brokers.Thus all this resulted into mushrooming of shopping malls, besides M.G.Road,it started spreading all over the town including NH-8, Sohna Road ,Golf course Road & even in areas around Nirvana country, where more than eight local shopping markets are either functioning or Markets are giving deserted look.

Mall Fever is over in Gurgaon

It seems that Mall fever is over in Gurgaon as Several malls although they are complete in all respect , are still giving a sad look due to lack of demand and more of space availability. Such vacant malls can be seen not only on M.G.Road but also giving a vacant look on Sohna Road, Ardee City, N.H.-8 as well as on Golf course Road etc.

Why there is a Negative Trend of malls in Gurgaon?

The answer seems to be as following:

Delhi Shopping Malls: It seems that now Delhi Shopping Malls are geared up with larger areas and wide range of products at better prices as a result Delhi shopper is no more interested to visit Gurgaon Shopping Malls with an exception to Ambience Mall which caters to Classes & not to the masses .The credit goes to the strategic planning of the Management who has made Ambience Mall, most sought after place for “Rich & Famous”

Parking Problem: in Gurgaon shopping Malls has given negative contribution for Busy/Serious shoppers.

Reliance Fresh/Reliance Mart/Reliance Trends/Reliance Digital: has stolen the show as far as retail sale is concerned, stores are well stocked with wide range of products matching the consumer needs & budget Having selected the best location, ensuring visibility & enough of car parking, the Management of Reliance Group has proved high skills of management strategies. The success seems to continue having adverse effect on Retailers in Mall

Lack of Advertisement for Retailers in Gurgaon shopping Malls there is no such Platform which enables the Retailers in shopping Malls to advertise about their existence to there Target Audience.

The following source of Advertisements have not contributed for this cause:

• Signage it is not that every Retailer can afford to have its Signage out side the mall.
• News Papers an expensive Media with short life of one day
• News Papers Leaflets : Are thrown away while picking the Newspapers.
• Magazines :People prefer T.V Serials instead of Magazines
• TV. Advertisements: Besides being an expensive, it is seen usually the viewer either change the channel or a housewife rushes to the kitchen.
• Road Side Banners: have a life of 2-3 days and are either wiped away by strong winds

It is noticed by all concerned in the trade that www.yellowpagesgurgaon.com is in the process of creating reasonably good platform of awareness for retailers from Gurgaon shopping malls, who have listed their particulars with this site. www.yellowpagesgurgaon.com is an informative site to create awareness of various “Products & Services” available in Gurgaon.

With my concluding note I would like to convey ” A lot of effort is required by all concerned in the trade to create awareness in the Gurgaon community, about the “Retailers Striving for existence”

This is a guest post by Mr Saurabh Dhawan. Saurabh is promoting medical tourism through his website www.indiameditreat.com

The slowdown in global economy has pushed the medical budgets of the Americans and Europeans towards south. They industry veterans have revised there estimates of inflow of patients into India and they expect it to shoot up. The reasons are very logical. The meltdown has affected everyone.

The banks have been affected badly, the insurance companies which were covering the banks sub prime risks have suffered a severe blow, the people don’t have money to spend high for medical treatment there. I would like to quote this statement by Barack Obama “Computerize all health records within five years. The quality of health care for all Americans gets a big boost, and costs decline” , so the American Government has realized that it has to look for cost cutting measures in order to manage the crisis situation. In a nut shell the very obvious situation is that the people are looking for more budgeted avenues.

 We expect more people to follow suite for medical treatment in India. If we look at the stats we see that India actually comes out to be the most cost effective as compared to Thailand and Singapore with the same expertise and facilities. I think it’s the best time for India to pull up its socks. All the external indicators have fallen at the right place and now all the hospitals and medical tourism companies should be looking forward to market India as a global health tourism spot.

 When I talk about Health Tourism I talk about the Rejuvenation courses in Himalyas, Yoga in Uttranchal, Indian ethnic Spa’s (Eg. Ananda) and of course medical treatment. The problem in India is that we are still not able to market our products well. A good and planned marketing strategy can help us be pioneers in Medical Tourism and the BE THE DOCTORS TO THE WORLD.

This a Guest Blog Post by Mr . Saurabh Dhawan. Saurabh is 22 years of age and is pursuing MBA from IIPM. He can be contacted at saurabh [dot] 3767 [at] gmail [dot] com.

With the passage of time the definition of luxury has changed in the last decade. Every product has its own market from guest houses to hotels to luxury hotels everyone has its own niche market to offer. Service apartment is one such type of market which is a growing market with a good demand in Metros and is being catered by Hotels and Guest houses. A service apartment is a furnished residential space which gives a homely look and has all the facilities from a fully furnished modular kitchen with all the cooking utensils, refrigeration, cooking gas, home appliances to other useful utensils in the kitchen. In the room it has Home Theater along with heating or cooling systems and other utilities which are generally found in a home and also telephone and internet connectivity. In certain cases security and power back are also prevalent. In short it is a home away from home.

The concept of service apartment is quite prevalent in western countries but it now coming up in India. Service Apartments are generally taken by corporates who have to stay for longer duration in India. When these corporates come to India they face some problem with culture, environment and food. The foreigners who come to India are not able to adjust themselves to the local food and environment and they are not able to enjoy the lifestyle they are used to.

This is where a service apartment comes to there rescue. These foreigners can cook their own food, maintain their own apartment and can also be provided with domestic help in India which is relatively cheap as compared to western countries. This helps them to feel like home and enjoy their stay in India with the best of health and spirits.

Service Apartments have a great future in Delhi NCR because it is a BPO and MNC hub, NRI tourism destination and an important diplomatic destination in South Asia.There is a constant increase in inflow of business travelers and tourists which are increasing year on year and the Medical tourism boom in coming years will supplement these demands as a service apartment can give feel of a home to a patient who can enjoy home cooked food after and before treatment.

The tariff of a service apartment can vary with the duration of stay by a traveler. Tariff for a service apartment can start from Rs. 7000/- Per month to Rs. 300000/- Per month depending on size of apartment and the level of luxury offered in the Apartment. The tariff generally includes the maintenance and water bills but may or may not include the electricity bills for the apartment. In all a service apartment have a great demand ahead in India

This a Guest Blog Post by Mr . Saurabh Dhawan. Saurabh is 22 years of age and is pursuing MBA from IIPM. He can be contacted at saurabh [dot] 3767 [at] gmail [dot] com.

There has been an uptrend in property prices in Delhi NCR which has gone up really fast and out of the hand of a common middle class population to buy a flat in NCR. Its high time that the builders should experiment with the taste buds of buyers and try their hand at STUDIO Apartments. A Studio apartments are typically one room sets that have an attached kitchen and bathroom. Such apartments may or may not have an attached verandah too. Studio apartments are quite popular in places like Mumbai and Banglore etc but the trend has not yet picked up in Delhi NCR.

If we look at feasibility of an Studio Apartment in NCR then they are very much feasible. A large number of young executives are working in Delhi NCR coming from different places around India. A number of foreign Banks, BPOs, Multi national corporations and big Indian companies have their offices in and around Delhi. The young executives generally enjoy a rich disposal income and enjoy a superior lifestyle along with young married couples or for even that matter for guests of corporate houses who prefer to live and cook alone a studio apartment can provide a home along with privacy.

A Studio apartment can be in range from 250 Sq Ft onwards till 1000 Sq Ft depending on the luxuries one wants to enjoy or add. Like a 300 Sq Ft apartment can have a room with kitchen and attached bathroom and say a 600 Sq Ft room can have a lounge for sitting with a study and 1000 Sq Ft can have a big room with Dining and Lounge along with a verandas and optional parking lots can also be offered to the buyers. A studio apartment can range anywhere between 8,00,000 to 45,00,000 in case of super luxurious studio apartments.

The concept can be a hit if the Builders sell fully furnished ready to move studio apartments to buyers who want single rooms yet elegant and luxurious rooms along with all the facilities like modular kitchen, furnished and augment the profit of the builder thus saving the wasteful time and cost of the buyer to get it furnished.

In the time when the interest rates are high and the buyers do not want to dig deep into their pockets to purchase a home these studio apartments can be a life saver for builders too who are facing liquidity crunch and lack of demand in market.

Saurabh Dhawan

Vikas Rikhye, Real Estate Promoter and Blogger

In the recent past the Fast Growing Township of New Gurgaon has witnessed a
Massive growth in housing sector.

The well established real estate companies like DLF & Unitech have launched and delivered prestigious residential project. Comparatively new entrants like Bestech,Omaxe, Parsavnath Raheja & others got an opportunity to prove their competence.

All this as stated above “Township of New Gurgaon” came in to a light as a very
strong investment destination.

As it would have resulted, the investment wave in Gurgaon ,became stronger and stronger and the Secondary market shot up sky high. With all this , the basic participants in real estate game like Builders, Brokers & Investors found themselves in a Win - Win situation.

Yet there was another Important Segment of Actual-User, who had missed the boat due to unexpected increase in Real estate prices, was still awaiting an affordable housing solution.

The announcement of Master Plan 2021, gave a sigh of relief to this Important Segment of Actual-Users .But at same time it gave opportunity to many New Player to enter the real estate Game.

And now an interesting/ uninteresting era starts:

As many of The new Players started advertising launch of their new projects with luring advertisements & Broker incentives.

It has been observed by many real - estate experts that some of the projects falling in Master Plan 2021 are being launched ,where at present the basic infrastructure like roads, water, sever, provision for required Power etc. is missing.

While some of the Promoters are asking for 25% of the amount within in 45 days of booking & balance is construction linked . Even we feel every thing in fairness, yet, it raises following queries in mind:
• What is the reliability level of “Unheard of as Builders”
• Transparency level of commitments.
• Experience for delivering committed project .( for those who have not delivered any Project in the past )
• Inventor’s Risk coverage.

For a while let us be Optimist that in all the fairness the project is delivered , Yet another question mark nags the mind that will there be basic infrastructure like roads, water, sever, provision for required Power etc. where presently nothing is visible on the ground except open fields & in some cases abandoned uneven patches of land.

Will somebody guide me to clear my doubt as well of others who agree with as stated above.

Mr. Vikas Rikhye,Real Estate Blogger

Why invest in India ?

The liberalisation in FDI Policy where Foreign investors other than NRIs allowed to invest only in development of integrated townships and settlements either through a wholly owned subsidiary or through a joint venture company in India along with a local partner has made it Foreign investor friendly.

It is an amazing fact that India is the 4th largest economy, in terms of purchasing power parity and Tenth most industrialized economy moreover. Political stability and broad consensus on reforms and also liberal and transparent foreign investment regime has made it a strong investment destination.

A very well developed banking system and vibrant capital market, with National Stock Exchange being the third largest, and Bombay Stock Exchange the fifth largest in terms of number of trades and also a Strong and independent judicial system,brings the comfort level to all concerned.

A strong blend of scientific and technical manpower specially in IT sector ,where over 50000 IT professionals are added each year, has attracted over 255 Fortune 500 companies getting services resulting into a remarkable increase in number of BPOs & call centres.

The massive progress in development of infrastructure can be seen as:

• Over 13,000 Kms of Highways being developed.

• Major advances in telecommunications sector and sharp decline in telecommunications costs.

• For easy commuting Metro -network is on its expansion.

• With opening of Modernized and well equipped Hospitals the progress on health care is remarkably visible.

• Development of Ports ,Shipping upgradation ,operation of cruise terminal and Operation of Dry Port at Mumbai.

With some of the points covered as above, it seems to give an open invitation to Foreign Investors to participate in booming sectors of growth like Roads & express highways , Urban Infrastructure, Ports , Power projects , Telecommunications and many more with Opportunities at glore……..

Mr. Vikas Rikhye,Realtor and Real Estate Blogger

Will the Dreams really come true…………………….

The master plan 2021 has earmarked 58 new Sectors covering over 14500 hectares of land as Residential Zone which includes a very large segment for Malls and commercial space.

There is a wave of happiness & prosperity with the implementation of Gurgaon master Plan 2021 as the original land owners are the 1st beneficiaries to get the best prices for their land from private Builders & Promoters thus bringing them prosperity overnight resulting into Swanky Cars parked in place of cattle & cows.

The common man for a with a ray of hope is looking for a niche in this Master Plan to own a small dwelling unit for his dreams to come true.

The Private Builders can envisage a heavy windfall of profit arising out of land acquired by them at right moment and the right time, as they are already being offered more than 10 times of their purchase price by the New Players in the Market.

According to sources, Group housing projects with total area of more than 490 acres have been granted licenses & hundreds of Licences are awaiting approval ,where some of them have been issued letter of intent (LOI).The sources add that more than 600 licences are including commercial projects, are under consideration.

*Some of the private builders and promoters have already started booking Apartments with a Price Tag of 2300-4500 plus per sq.ft.( the hidden cost of Car Parking ,PLCs etc being extra. On visiting the sites , there are no encouraging signs of developing the Basic infrastructure .

The existing Township of Modern Gurgaon is suffering from acute shortage of Power Supply & lack of Basic infrastructure having Sky High prices beyond the reach of a common man.

A common man still hopes for a small dwelling unit for his dream to come true………?

Mr Vikas Rikhye,Real Estate Blogger

Gurgaon Progress/ Prosperity vs Common Man (The CM)

Someone has to monitor the progress/ growth of this New Township of Gurgaon in more balanced & Planned manner having Prime focus on the following:

• Housing : While Prominent Builders are competing with each other in offering Luxurious Villas & Apartments with a price tag ranging 50 lacs to 2.5 crores and above leaving no scope for a common man to even own a simple shelter, as the uncontrolled land prices are much beyond his means.

• Education: The most modern education systems are being introduced in best of institutes finding their place in Gurgaon, making Education a luring business but what is in store for a child who is studious but does not have resources.

• Health care :With appearance of well known expensive Hospitals & Medicity, remarkable progress is noticed , awaiting the Financial boom from “Medical Tourism”. Yet ,hundreds of poor patients are left to their fate for the want of resources.

• Local commuting/Transport: Speeding Swanky Cars reflect of an affluent culture prevailing all around, forgetting the basic need of a humble commuter who is the one of the pillars of today’s Glittering Gurgaon.

Time is warning us that we are not far away from the crucial stage of “Haves & Have-nots” ……………… which can be disastrous for the society.

Mr Vikas Rikhye,Realtor and Real Estate Blogger

Mushrooming growth of shopping malls in Gurgaon creates a question mark in the mind about the negative future of the shopping malls in Gurgaon.

In NCR Gurgaon was one of few first Towns to witness the modern trend of Retail selling & Multiplex culture.

The excited youth and fashionable shopper found their destination at MGF Metropolitan & DLF City Centre ,While moderate & price conscious found their place in Big Bazar in Sahara Mall . Stylish day today shopping got attraction at Spencers and specialized fashion shopping found its place in Grand Mall.

DT and PVR Cinemas attracted people from all walks of life. While on one side one could see elite & hi fashion crowd at the same time one could also see escalator-shy rural crowd looking dazed at modern shopping glamour. Making it most happening place.These Malls were attracting crowds not only from Delhi & Noida but also from distant rural areas of Haryana.

While all this was happening a very few noticed that on this prominent MG Road only while one Mall project was abandoned by the builder and other three malls(under construction were put on slow speed for the lack of market Demand.

Not only on MG Road, but shirking market trend was also felt on Golf course Road &NH-8Where proposed shopping malls gave a deserted look.

On Sohna Road the scene is no different as beside one operational mall, where more than 50% shops are still to open. ( despite the fact that this mall has been so called operational for more than 15 months ). Yet another Marriage mall stand complete in isolation awaiting to be occupied.

And to my utter surprise I see still about seven more malls under construction under such a bleak future .

Mall fever is not yet over it is spreading to Rewar,Dharuhera Bhewadi and as remote places as Punahna etc