Mahila Mall, claimed to be Asia’s first mall with an all-women crew, that had come under the umbrella of Kudumbashree in Kozhikode, is on the verge of closure, barely three months away from the second anniversary of its launch. The mall, with shops of over 50 woman entrepreneurs, had downed shutters when the national lockdown began in March 2020, and remains closed till date. With the management adamant on the stand that they will not reopen unless all rent dues are cleared and entrepreneurs procuring an injunction order against the closure of the mall, the future of the one-of-its-kind venture is filled with uncertainty.
Despite its glorious start in November 2018, the mall could not cash in on the initial publicity for long.
Lack of patronage
Trouble started within a month when some entrepreneurs questioned the lack of the promised facilities in the mall, such as a super market, a cinema, a play zone and a food court, which, they said, were crucial for improving footfall into the mall. Lack of patronage forced many of the entrepreneurs to close shops or move out within a year.
“To begin with, they did not keep the promises, neither did they make any efforts for better marketing. We were taken for a ride,” said Anitha Bimal who owns a boutique in the mall.
The Mahila Mall is managed by the Kudumbashree’s Unity Group consisting of ten women. The entire floor area in five storeys were divided into around 80 small-to-medium shops based on the demands of the entrepreneurs who became part of the ₹6-crore project, the biggest in the history of Kudumbashree in the State. However, lack of adequate income stopped many entrepreneurs from paying their rents on time.
“How can we function without income. We had no means to pay our loans or to pay rent,” K. Vijaya, secretary of Unity Group, said.
The lockdown added to their woes and the management refused to reopen the facility even after the govt. relaxed curbs on malls.
“We could not even enter our shops,” Ms. Anitha said adding that she had stock worth several lakhs in her boutique.
The management’s refusal to renew contracts irked some of the shop owners, forcing them to approach court demanding reopening of the mall. “We have too much at stake here. We want it to be working again,” Ms. Anitha said.
Meanwhile, the management claimed that rent amounting to ₹36 lakh was yet to be paid by shop owners.