‘High streets still in vogue in India’ – JLL research

While there has always been a hue and cry about India not having too many high streets, a research paper by JLL ‘High Streets in Vogue’ that examines the character of 24 of the most popular high streets in India, confirms that high streets have successfully stood the test of time in India. These are markets that have created a unique selling proposition distinctly their own through constant evolution and, in many cases, catering to specific niche segments.

As a result, these high streets have managed to attract favour of local brands that operate in India as also national and international brands that would otherwise not consider venturing beyond posh malls. In every city that the report looked into, there are two to three high streets that have constantly evolved and managed to retain their reputation as important retailing destinations.

This is more than just an interesting market fact. A better understanding of the various Indian high streets — from their origins to their successful evolution over time — can help retailers refine their strategies and strengthen their presence in these markets. For instance, brands that seek volume growth may choose to have a store along the ‘transit-oriented’ high streets, while those more focused on effective brand positioning need to opt for the right ‘destination’ high streets.

In the years to come, the report foresees that their individual attributes will play a bigger role in changing the shape of each of these high streets. Irrespective of the challenges of high streets — largely external factors — individual landlords and retailers of these markets will see immense benefit in collaborative efforts towards improving the overall experience of shoppers that visit these markets. The scope for such collaboration is huge, and can include marketing activities, sales strategies, organising events, parking arrangements, and so on.

The report points out that in the next couple of years, there will be less variation between popular high streets and grade-B malls across the leading cities.