A little town in Milan, Italy – Bergamo, stands unadulterated, solemnly parading its unfathomable architectural tenets and in equal proportion, its deep-rooted culture, making its presence felt, on the map of architectural interests. And soon, this slice-of-life snippet from that sleepy little town, some thousand odd kilometers away will manifest in Chennai as the city’s first luxury mall takes shape on June 15, 2010.
Set up at a cost of Rs 10 crores, KKA Builtech Pvt Ltd announced their first project in Chennai – Bergamo Luxury Mall, that will take shape on Khader Nawaz Khan road.
Designed on the lines of a classical Italian edifice, Bergamo will set shop on none other than the fashion street of Chennai, housing international luxury brands. An outcome of a research for quality retail space in the city, the mall is the direct offshoot of serious thinking and extensive marketing research by Squarefeet Management Pvt Ltd, India’s first mall advisory company. Said Sunil Dungarwal, founder and CEO, Squarefeet Management Pvt Ltd, “We are currently in talks with renowned luxury brands from Europe.
In about three months time, everything will be finalised.” Dubbed as the luxury destination of Chennai, Khader Nawaz Khan road will conceivably throw in more of Bergamo. “Most people from Chennai go to other cities for luxury shopping. We came up with this, to fill in that gap,” said Ajay Agarwal, MD, Bergamo and KKA Buildtech Pvt Ltd.
So, wedged between Barista and Evoluzione, the first luxury mall, (and only the third in the country) will take shape, housing 40,000 square feet and four floors of shopping comforts, plus a roof-top restaurant.
Besides the fact that Chennai (T Nagar) has the maximum sales per square feet in the whole of Asia, and that Chennaiites are becoming more luxury conscious at the same time, does recession stand as an obstacle in Bergamo’s path? “The market is at its low,” said Ajay Agarwal.
“But we are hoping that the cycle will turn around.”
elizabeth@epmltd.com