Malls : Redifining the consumption landscape in the city of Lucknow

Abstract

The most striking change in the last decade has been the rise of discretionary shoppers. Armed with a new capitalist economy that has created jobs, Indian consumers have awakened a sleeping retail giant. Glitzy shopping malls choc a bloc with the biggest brands dot the urban landscape. Seduced by conducive entry regulations and India’s economic takeoff, global retail players are bringing the biggest brands to the discerning
shopper. Food courts are teeming with people enjoying branded burgers, pizzas etc. A 40 % growth has been recorded by the Indian fast food industry. Newspapers are inundated with reports of existing food outlets doubling or tripling their outlets by 2007. On the flip side, Indians have never been fatter. Reports suggest that if we are not careful we could be soon fighting a fat epidemic. India ranks among the top 10 obese nations in the world and 120 million Indians are obese. With new shopping malls becoming operational in several cities in India this study aims to observe the shopping behaviour of consumers in B grade cities, like Lucknow, find out if their brand awareness has escalated and check the hypothesis that shopping malls lead to enhanced consumption of junk food and hence obesity.