I come from a small coastal town (or at least that is what it used to be till 2005) called Mangalore, known mostly for the major port it harbours – New Mangalore Port Trust. Apart from its contribution towards nation-building through its export-import business, this place is also popular for giving our nation some very big names who have excelled in their respective industries. Dr. Devi Shetty, George Fernandes, K.L Rahul, Kadri Gopinath, Krithi Karanth, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are just a few to name from this unending list. Mangalore, that is home to some of the biggest celebrities in the country, the assumption is the place is a sea of opportunities with state-of-the-art infrastructure that can be compared to any of the big cities in India. It has taken many years for this assumption to start turning into reality. In 2019, the infrastructure, the flourishing businesses, and the upscale crowd will make you wonder how was this ever just a modest town. It is like it was always meant to be a Smart City.
Of course, there have been several factors that have triggered the sudden transition from just being a town to a Smart City. Helping the people of Mangalore make this transition was an organization known to us all – the Aditya Birla Group.
A popular builder decided to introduce Mangalore to the mall culture in 2005. Until then everything was purchased from the marketplace where vendors sold their inferior quality products at unreasonably high prices. Mangalore being new to the concept of spending on luxury goods and services, popular names like Westside and Shoppers Stop decided to avoid exploring the market opportunities available here. Although one company that didn’t refrain from grabbing this chance was Pantaloons. It dived into the possibility of letting a small town explore the perks that are otherwise available to just the privileged city dwellers. It set up its store in the first mall of Mangalore. As surprising as it may sound, I still can distinctly recall stepping into the first-ever Pantaloons store in Mangalore as a sixth-grader. The store wasn’t just a retail shop that my parents would usually take me to, where I would have just three garments to choose from that would fit me, where the staff would judge my parents for considering their finances before spending or seeing everyone around being uncomfortable in the cramped-up space of the shop. Pantaloons was different. It was an experience. The variety available for even a teenager (me back then), staff that was not just courteous to my parents but treated me like an equally important “decision-maker” too and prices that didn’t upset my parents, instead gave them the satisfaction of finally being able to gift their daughter a splendid birthday present. Ever since then we find ourselves going to Pantaloons every time we need to shop (and even when we don’t!). I am always on the lookout for trendy apparel from Rangmanch, Ajile, Honey, Akkriti, Chalk, Annabelle, Trishaa, Poppers, and Chirpie Pie. The Aditya Birla Group just didn’t stop at gifting us Pantaloons to exude confidence through our ensemble, they also showed us how we needn’t be billionaires to lead an embellished lifestyle. Yes, I’m talking about Lifestyle. The minute this brand was introduced in Mangalore around nine years ago, it turned out to be a store for everyone, no matter what they were looking for. From clothes for men, women, and children to home decor, watches, shoes, or handbags, perfumes, and sunglasses, they were all under a single roof. It was very easy to get used to shopping with convenience, and it didn’t come at a dreaded price! I realized my fondness for Lifestyle when I received my first salary and had to go on a shopping spree to get my family and friends gifts to celebrate. The only one-stop destination that struck me was Lifestyle. My shopping cart had a range of products to suit the variety of taste my family has in terms of items and brands. Lifestyle gifted a smile to my loved ones even with my meagre budget then and now too.
My favourite aspect of brands like Lifestyle and Pantaloons is not how they have made premium products affordable to all, how quality is never compromised, how options are endless and how there is something for everyone. What really impresses me is in a time where the world is speedily moving towards online shopping for higher sales and profits, Pantaloons and Lifestyle have well accepted and adopted this change, roping in customers who enjoy shopping through a few clicks on their phones. Yet in this urge to appeal to the internet generation, the Aditya Birla Group hasn’t forgotten to still look out for its elderly customers who would still like to walk into the closest store of Pantaloons and buy their daughter her special gift for her birthday!
