Setback to Ahmedabad's urban model? City malls witness 48% decline in footfalls, one of the highest in India

By Jag Jivan*

Are Ahmedabad’s malls, tom-tommed as an “example” of the city’s urban model, set to further lose their charm? It would seem so, if one goes by top industries body Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) report, which says that Ahmedabad’s malls has seen one of the highest declines in “footfalls” in India, next only to Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR). As per an ASSOCHAM survey, Delhi-NCR recorded the highest decline in footfalls at city malls (49.5%) , followed very closely by Ahmedabad (48.2%).

Other cities that have seen a high fall in “footfall” are Chennai (46%), Mumbai (42%) and Hyderabad (39%), the survey results, released by ASSOCHAM, said. While roughly 250-300 malls came up in the country in the last two years, 80-85% of the spaces in these malls still lie vacant. In Ahmedabad, the situation has particularly taken from bad to worse, as few of the top malls recently closed their shops or reduced their capacity drastically. Several of them were built by offering them huge concessions, and without even necessary environmental clearances.

ASSOCHAM does not think that this is due to recession having overtaken the cities, but because “online shopping has proved especially harsh for shopping malls.” The survey was conducted in 10 cities-Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Chandigarh and Dehradun. ASSOCHAM thinks, “Online shopping industry in India is fast catching on, not just in the larger metros but also in the smaller cities.”
The industry body estimates, things will only worsen for the malls this Diwali, when online shopping may increase by 350% as against the jump of 200% in August-September. The result is that, it says, “shopping malls have started feeling jittery as the footfalls in malls are likely to go down by 50-55%”. ASSOCHAM, however, does not provide inter-city comparison of how much has online actually caught up.
“During Diwali, Online shopping estimated to cross Rs 10,000 crore”, says ASSOCHAM, adding, “The online retailing to see the biggest flip ever in the history, going forward this trend will not only continue but it will grow by leaps and bounds. “At present the market is estimated at Rs. 12,000 crore and could cross Rs. 1,00,000 crore a year in India over the next three to four years”.
The survey, titled “Indian Online Retail Sales Surge in Festive Season”, reveals that there is more than a fivefold increase in revenue generated through e-commerce as compared to last year with all branded apparel, accessories, jewellery, gifts, footwear are available at a cheaper rates and delivered at the doorstep within two to three days. According to ASSOCHAM secretary-general DS Rawat, “Whole new audience is connected 24x7 through their smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices which are leading to a gradual evolution of e-commerce”.
ASSOCHAM said, e-commerce sales in August and September grew by 200% from the same months in 2013 (120%), with mobile sales booming 100%. “Consumers are turning to the internet savvy because of the fast and simple payment and delivery service. Online shopping is estimated to be up by 350% during the festive season than visiting bricks and mortar stores, adds its report”, it insisted, adding, “This festive season, shopping on ground has taken a back seat. Apart from convenience, rising fuel price, security reasons, online discounts and availability with abundance of choices are keeping consumers indoors”.

---

*Freelance writer

Comments

Beyond India-China borders: Economic links expand, political gaps persist

By Bhabani Shankar Nayak* Despite growing trade between India and China, a persistent trust deficit continues to shape their bilateral relationship. Expanding economic engagement has not fully resolved political differences, many of which stem from historical legacies as well as contemporary geopolitical concerns. Border disputes—often traced to colonial-era arrangements—remain a significant obstacle to deeper cooperation, while differing strategic alignments in global affairs add further complexity.

GreenTech Summit claims NCR as key green building hub, without pan-India comparison

By A Representative The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under the Confederation of Indian Industry, held its GreenTech Summit 2026 in New Delhi, where industry representatives, policymakers and sustainability professionals discussed the adoption of climate technologies in India’s built environment.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Gujarat cadre to HDFC: When bureaucratic style hits corporate walls

By Rajiv Shah I was a little amused by the abrupt March 17, 2026 resignation of Atanu Chakraborty —a Gujarat cadre IAS officer of the 1985 batch who retired from the government in 2020—as chairman of HDFC Bank . Much of what may have led to his decision to quit this ostensibly high post—actually a non-executive, part-time role—is by now well known. I followed most of it online with considerable interest, partly because I had interacted with him umpteen times during my stint as The Times of India correspondent in Gandhinagar from 1997 to 2012.

Operation Epic Fury: Making America great at the world’s expense?

By N.S. Venkataraman* The decades-long enmity between Iran and Israel is well-documented, but historically, their direct confrontations have been brief, constrained by the logistical and economic limitations of sustained warfare. The current conflict in the Middle East, however, marks a radical and dangerous departure from this pattern.

India has been getting its economic growth wrong for two decades, say top economists

By Jag Jivan* India's official GDP figures have misrepresented the trajectory of the world's fifth-largest economy for the better part of two decades, according to a major new working paper published by the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE). It finds that India overstated annual growth by up to two percentage points after 2011 — and understated it during the boom years of the 2000s.

Beyond the election manifesto: Why climate is now a kitchen table issue

By Vikas Meshram* March has long been a month of gentle transition, the period when winter softly retreats and a mild warmth signals nature’s renewal. Yet, in recent years, this dependable rhythm has been disrupted. This year, since the beginning of March, temperatures across vast swathes of the country have shattered previous records, soaring to between 35 and 40 degrees Celsius in some regions. This is not a mere fluctuation in the weather; it is a serious and alarming indicator of climate change .

Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque under siege: A test of Muslim solidarity and Palestine’s future

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* In the cacophony of Israel’s and the United States’ attack on Iran, one piece of news has been buried under the debris of war: Israel has closed the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to Palestinian worshippers during the holy month of Ramadan. The closure, announced as indefinite, affects the third most revered mosque in the Islamic world.

Search This Blog