India’s retail sector witnesses a strong demand in 2022

Mumbai, December 30 2022 – The retail sector saw leasing momentum recover in March 2022 on the back of an increase in footfall, sales, and rent concessions being discontinued. Mall supply of around 2.5 million sq. ft is estimated to be completed in 2022, according to JLL’s Year ender ‘The 2022 story: Indian real estate’s rise from the lows.’
 

In 2023 mall supply of around 10 million sq. ft is expected to get operational with 25 new malls entering the market across the top seven cities of India (Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata). Leasing demand for sectors such as F&B, electronics, jewelry, athleisure, casual clothing, formal wear, accessories, and beauty and cosmetics is increasing. With the introduction of new entertainment categories programming and the total removal of all Covid-related limitations, the entertainment category, including multiplexes, enjoyed a robust comeback in business beginning in March 2022. 

“With improving resilience, there has been an emergence of newer formats by retailers. There has been a churning of brands and categories in existing shopping malls to help keep up with changing customer demands and accommodate newer global businesses. Nearly 60 shopping malls encompassing a total retail space of 23.25 million sq. ft are expected to become operational during 2023-25 across the top seven cities of India. Delhi NCR and Bengaluru will be the major contributors with a 53% share in the upcoming supply” said Rahul Arora, Head Office Leasing Advisory and Retail (India), JLL. 
 

• Integration of physical and digital experience is taking place to provide an interactive and all-inclusive in-store experience. Retailers are upgrading their brand websites and launching shopping apps to offer a digital experience to customers along with physical stores.

• Institutional investment in the retail sector has been picking up. With quality supply in the pipeline and new malls announced by established developers, the Indian retail sector is expected to attract more institutional investment.

• The demand for superior Grade shopping malls is quite high in India as retailers have a strong appetite for prime retail spaces that have high footfalls. Therefore, vacancy in such malls is lower at single digit compared to ‘Good’ and ‘Average’ malls. This trend is expected to continue as both retailers and consumers prefer such malls.

• F&B space allocation in some shopping malls has increased from 12-15% before the pre- Covid period to 25-30% now. It is expected to remain an integral part of any mall development. Mall developers and retailers are taking persistent initiatives to enhance customer experience through technology upgradation and innovations.

• Global retailers, including popular F&B chains, are entering India, seeing its strong fundamentals and consumption growth. Indian shopping malls are also churning their brand mix to accommodate global marquee brands.

JLL is India’s premier and largest professional services firm specialising in real estate. The Firm has grown from strength to strength in India for the past two decades. JLL India has an extensive presence across 10 major cities (Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Kochi, and Coimbatore) and over 130 tier-II and III markets with a cumulative strength of close to 12,000 professionals. The Firm provides investors, developers, local corporates, and multinational companies with a comprehensive range of services. These include leasing, capital markets, research & advisory, transaction management, project development, facility management and property & asset management. These services cover various asset classes such as commercial, industrial, warehouse and logistics, data centres, residential, retail, hospitality, healthcare, senior living, and education. For further information, please visit jll.co.in.