Now a forum to promote shopping in malls

According to the Forum, nearly 300 malls are coming up in India over the next three years, which will transform retail trade in the country. The brand owners now feel they should collectively bargain to get their products in the right malls, which are run professionally.

"The right mall has a mix of entertainment, retail and food space and it should be run professionally," V Uday Kumar, chairman, Brand Owners' Forum said.

The Forum said that popular shopping streets in major cities are congested, lack parking space and charge exorbitant rentals for space.

"We want to have best practices in dealing with malls; working together to ensure that they all went into the right malls and avoid the wrong ones," Kumar said.  The Forum said a typical mall has about 1.5 lakh to two lakh sq ft of retail space and has a good brand mix.

"Our objective is to work closely with mall developers and provide them with a set of brands which will create a good connect with end consumers," Vishak Kumar, Forum vice chairman said.