In this issue

Once the Oracle of Delphi was asked about who she thought was the most intelligent person ever born, and without a doubt in her mind she said: “Why, Socrates of course!” When Socrates was congratulated on his new found status, he replied: “I know only that I know nothing!” Clearly he was referring to the fact that while knowing what you know is important, it is more import ant to know what you don’t. And while this thought does come to our minds often as we at Images go about the task of providing a knowledge-sharing platform for the benefit of all stakeholders in the modern retail spectrum, it is today paramount as we sit at the very cusp of the 10th Anniversary Congregation of the India Retail Forum.
As we look back over the past decade, we cannot but help being truly amazed at the brilliance of innovations and the magnitude of effort that has been put into the development of retail in India, and how far we have travelled over this period.
It is also within this past decade that the word “mall” has become a part of every Indian language. Ten years ago, in 2003, with a small handful of malls in India, every mall was a great new experience. Today, with shopping centres developing across the length and breadth of the country, we hear people talk about them in terms of great, good and bad. And while we hear many a story spun around each one of them and we know what the public thinks of them, in this issue we undertake an exercise to find the thing that really matters — which are the malls that retailers and brand owners consider the very best malls of India. This investigation is our lead feature in this issue of Images Retail.
As part of my now frequent travels to cities emerging as new epicenters of retail, I was very recently in the Pink City and I must mention a most fine gentleman Anoop Bartaria whom you may know as the man who has created the World Trade Park, Jaipur. I was most pleasantly struck by his holistic approach to the city’s look and development, his eye for detail, immense creativity and overall passion for whatever he does. We will eagerly wait to see much more of his work in the shopping centre space.

The India Retail Forum 2013 is scheduled to be held in September from 25th to 26th at the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel. The event last year saw a record attendance of over 2,500 retail industry professionals, 175 speakers, both from India and abroad, and more than 100 exhibitors all converging together under one roof. India Retail Forum is today undoubtedly the magnum opus of Indian retail. It is the annual venue at which retail captains religiously and invariably converge to discuss India’s consumption potential and how modern retail can further stimulate and channelise consumption towards the multi-faceted growth of the economy.
In my additional capacity of the Chief Convener of the India Retail Forum 2013, I wholeheartedly extend my warmest invitation to you to attend the India Retail Forum 2013, with the promise that you will find it both a perfect knowledge platform and an immense opportunity to network. You will enjoy listening, discussing and debating the challenges being faced by the industry and planning your own ways forward.

Images Retail Magazine Description:

Launched in 2003, IMAGES Retail magazine took on the task of analysing the emerging organised retail industry at a time when the industry itself had little data to work on. The magazine covers the gamut of Indian and International movements in retail technology, logistics and supply chain, store formats, store design, retail real estate, franchising and human resource, besides reporting on significant directions within India’s sunrise industry.

The magazine is widely acknowledged India’s leading retail intelligence publication for decades now, providing news, insights, research & analysis, intelligence and data covering retail operations across all Indian markets.

The mission of the monthly B2B magazine – published exclusively for the retail industry – is to bring industry leaders and brand owners up to date with the latest in retail technology & innovations, provide them with in-depth research, studies and analytical, insightful features which help them grow their businesses in India. The magazine aims to spark ideas and shape agendas for decision makers in India’s competitive retail industry.