Opposites Attract: The Growing Chemistry Between D2C Brands and Shopping Centres

Looking at the success of D2C brands that have made a noticeable splash in the offline space, it is hard to ignore the success story of Nykaa, Pepperfry, Firstcry etc. From the new age standalone brands, we have the likes of Neeman's, Happilo etc who have gone ahead to open stores at leading malls.

- Zainab S. Kazi

The business of shopping centres is at its most exciting phase today with brands legacy and D2C, both vying for space. What is most interesting to learn is despite the tremendous online revolution, malls have stood the test of time. We have had their obituary being discussed time and again with changing shopping dynamics - first with the onset of e-commerce and then with D2C. If anything, their need to expand today has been like never before with more and more online and D2C brands wanting a physical presence in malls.

And that is why we say - Opposites attract! Aptly commencing the session - Opposites attract: The Growing Chemistry Between D2C Brand & Shopping Centres, Rajendra Kalkar, President (malls) and Whole Time Director - The Phoenix Mills, shared, "As owners of D2C brand and owners of brick-and-mortar centres of the country, I think it is a fabulous time to discuss and debate what each expects from each other and what they want to deliver for each other." To accentuate this, he highlighted the entry of The Tata Group into the D2C category with Tata CLiQ Palette. Kalkar put forth his curiosity to learn about what has led to such a dramatic change in the mindset of such a large traditional group compelling them to enter into this high-tech and extremely competitive cutthroat risky business.

What Drives Big Names into the D2C Space