Vishaal De Mal: The melting pot of fashion, entertainment, food & culture in Madurai

Located in Madurai, Vishaal de Mal, is the first and largest format mall in southern Tamil Nadu and city’s first integrated multi-utility mall. The mall is spread over an area of 2.7 lakhs sq. ft and has ground + 8 floors with ample parking space, including 2 basement levels for four-wheelers & two-wheelers. The mall is popular due to its entertainment segments, which also includes the only multiplex in the city. Vishaal de Mal also has Smaaash, Bowling alley, 7D theatre, food court with multi-cuisines to its portfolio.
Location and Catchment Area
The location of Vishaal de Mal is an advantage as it is surrounded by cities, foremost star rated hotels, camp houses of bureaucrats; serving as intersection point to Bengaluru-Chennai highways. The mall is very close to the city centre and is far away from the hassles of the city crowd, giving a pleasant driving experience to visit the mall.
“Being the first shopping mall other than Chennai/Coimbatore, we had challenges from planning to execution and engaging the right people and technology due to the scarce availability or presence nearby. The location of the mall caters to the need of the city serving to the strong catchment area,” says R. Ilankovan, Founder & Chairman, Vishaal Promoters Pvt Ltd.
Zoning: Brands in Mall
The mall has a plethora of best performing brands across the categories including INOX, Lifestyle, Max, Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Woodlands, Reliance Trends, Reliance Footprint, Payless and Reliance Digital. Spread in the area of 12000 sq. ft., the food court has a variety of brands to cater to the tastes of Maduraiites.
“We have an optimum sized mall balancing the requirement of our patrons to the brands availability. The mall has aggressive growth plans, like obtaining ISO Certification to improve quality and service, and an IGBC Green Existing Building certification. We have provided the right mix of entertainment, retail and food brands that are the major driving forces, even after the demonetisation and the pandemic.  We also hosted homegrown brands which are essential for the local flavour being the inevitable part of the mix,” stated Ilankovan.
Omnichannelisation of Mall
The mall is a mixture of both channels. The focus of the mall is to provide seamless experience and many superior stores present in the mall offers the Omnichannel service. Consumers can do shopping from the mobile, laptop and can collect the product from the physical store. Other brands are also in process to implement the process.
 FEC Zone
The food court has brands including all flavors and taste, including traditional veg and non-veg, Chinese cuisines with kiosks and chaat corners. The compelling family leisure offerings include Smaaash, a 7D Theatre, an Indoor Children’s Entertainment Area and a 5-Screen Multiplex Cinema – INOX.
COVID: Safety & Hygiene
“Since the onset of the pandemic, safety of the consumer has been a major concern. At Vishaal de Mal, we are maintaining a hygienic environment, conducted by trained and dedicated personnel to ensure safe visit to the mall. We are also encouraging contactless shopping inside the mall and are following the guidelines of social distancing,” said Ilankovan.
Hospitality & Footfalls
Hospitality plays a vital role in the long run of the mall. A proper approach and service to the patrons is necessary for the mall to become popular and successful. We can retain the consumers only by our services and we are very much focused in that direction. The mid priced and premium segment is getting maximum footfalls currently as it caters to the needs of salaried government servants and business class people.