Like a Phoenix From the Ashes
Friday is usually field trip day at the bpb office, the last of which involved fighting fierce traffic to get to the spanking new Phoenix Market City (PMC) mall in Kurla. The monstrous Phoenix (spread over retail space of 2.1 million square feet, advertised as India's biggest mall) seems like a distant Pied Piper trying to lure the suits and ties of BKC (twenty minutes away) with the retail equavalent of several hit tunes including Zara, Quiksilver and Lush (opening soon!), Vero Moda, Bebe, Body Shop, L’Occitane and more. Are the corporates following with notes of their own?
If they are, we saw no evidence of it during our visit, but instead window shopped (to the sound of Third Eye Blind’s Deep Inside of You playing on the loud speaker) while desultory groups of college kids and neighbourhood residents took in the sights and songs. While the main level is replete with many of the international brands you see at High Street Phoenix, the Indian ones like Arrow and Catwalk are kept below eye level. PVR Cinemas and several restaurants including Mainland China will be serving soon.
Zero In On: Bebe
bpb was most curious, but let that curiosity not be mistaken for excitement, to visit the Bebe store at PMC (there’s one in Malad and another opening at Linking Road, Santacruz). Launched just in time for the festivities, majority of the store is taken up by soiree stock, but the kind that would have to know a friend of a friend to be admitted into all the hot parties.
