Swelling crowds fuel hopes of business spike in Bengaluru's Brigade Road

BENGALURU: MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Street are seeing huge crowds this festive season. A surge in footfall prompted traffic police to close Brigade Road and Church Street for all vehicles for some time on Saturday evening.
Business establishments on MG Road, Brigade Road and Church Street are buoyant over their sales returning to pre-Covid levels. With 35 shops having been shut during the Covid-hit years (2020 and 2021) on Brigade Road alone, business establishments on the premier shopping avenue are now finding reasons to cheer.
All 125 shops on Brigade Road are now open for business. "There is 32-35% rise in retail sales," said Enashree, assistant manager of Adidas, Brigade Road.
"People are confident of living with Covid and there is no panic as they have taken vaccine and booster doses," said Enashree.
"We are excited to see the decorations and lighting and the mood is of celebration after being locked inside homes for the last two years," said Pragya Malu, a shopper on Brigade Road. With lockdowns and restrictions in place, the pandemic years saw businesses suffer. During Covid, 35 shops were completely shut down, sales plummeted and many people lost their jobs.
"We are ushering in the New Year as usual with lighting and decorations. Like every year, the Brigade Road association has pooled in about Rs 12-13 lakh to decorate and light up the 700-metre road," said Suhail Yusuff, secretary of Brigade Shops and Establishments Association.
The association's main concern is the safety of the public and it has forwarded suggestions in this regard to the city police commissioner. "There is also a fear of Covid spreading and people are ready to abide by government norms if restrictions are imposed," said Suhail.
The association wants Brigade Road to be closed for all vehicles from 7pm on December 31. It further wants shutting of all entry points from Brigade Road to Church Street and Rest House Road for both walkers and vehicles, allowing of pedestrian movement only in the direction of Opera junction, banning of street vendors and pushcarts. Public should be prevented from sitting on steps of shops and establishments and their entry into basement of shops should be restricted, the association said.
- Joel Mendonca and Elizabeth Rani