HYDERABAD: With the city metro rail operations set to take off by the end of this month, owners of business establishments around the newly-constructed stations are hopeful of an increase in the number of footfalls in their stores. Their anticipation of a growth in business is such that several retail outlets have strategically set up franchise extensions near new metro stations. Surprisingly, some have even changed their business line for better prospects.
At the Moosapet metro rail station, Vinod Patel, a timber retailer, had transformed his dusty godown into a splashy children’s wear and hosiery store last year. His shop is hardly 20 metres from the metro station and he has realised the business potential. When asked about the change, he asked, “Why not take advantage of an increased footfall in the area?.” From Ameerpet to Kukatpally there are hardly any exclusive and well-stocked kid’s wear and hosiery stores. “My past timber business might have fetched me a niche clientele but the clothing essentials will be bought by many,” he reasoned.
The nearby Kukatpally metro Station is no exception as three mobile retail franchises of popular brands have launched their services there recently. “While the passengers get down the stairs, our shop would be the first one to catch their eye if they happen to look towards the left. The brand name will remain etched in their minds.
Whenever there is a need for them, our store will come first to their mind and they are likely to be our potential customers,” said the manager of a retail outlet who did not wish to be identified. There are, however, some traders and businessmen who see a bleak future for them, considering the mammoth repair works that are still under way at several places along the 30-km-long stretch that is to be inaugurated by the prime minister on November 28. At the JNTU metro station, where the road has been under renovation for three months, traders have suffered a dent in their businesses due to lack of parking space. “Parking space for customers’ vehicles has become a constraint. Asking them to drive around the building and park their vehicles in the cellar has become counter-productive as they are just bypassing our store,” said a senior functionary at Tirumala Furniture.
Krishna Reddy, who runs an eatery near Miyapur station, said, “I lost all my customers who travel by the highway as they are deterred by the road median. It is impossible for people to just stop by and walk across into the store.” His neighbour, a wholesale dealer, said that the place became very congested ever since the construction of metro rail began.