Lucknow-The Rising Star of Shopping Centre’s

As the Tier 2  cities across India are making a mark with a rising retail footprint, Lucknow has emerged as a star destination for shopping centres, not just among Tier 2 cities but among Tier 1 cities as well.

  According to Knight Frank India’s research report – Think India, Think Retail 2024, Lucknow has the highest gross leasable area (GLA) of shopping centres across the 21 Tier 2 cities in the country. Recently, Knight Frank India conducted a primary survey of 340 shopping centres across 29 Indian cities, including 21 Tier 2 cities such as Lucknow. According to the key findings of the survey, the GLA of the shopping centres in the city admeasured 5.7 mn sq ft, outstripping the operational shopping centre stock of cities such as Kolkata and Ahmedabad as of 2023. In 2023, Lucknow contributed 5 percent to 125.1 million sq ft of shopping centre stock across these 29 cities. Additionally, Lucknow also ranked 7th in the country’s gross leasable area of shopping centre stock.

Looking specifically at the 21 Tier 2 cities, Lucknow accounted for an impressive 18.4 percent share of the total 30.8 mn sq ft of GLA across these cities in India.

Retail Footprint in Tier 2 Cities

Source: Knight Frank Research

 Retail Footprint in Tier 1 & 2 cities

Source: Knight Frank Research

The Knight Frank  report reveals that Lucknow has achieved a notable shopping Centre density of 1,439 sq ft in 2023. The operational shopping centres in the city host more than 580 retail outlets, half of which are of Indian origin, while those of international origin trail closely.

 According to Abhishek Sharma, Senior Director of Retail Agency at Knight Frank India, Lucknow faces increasing demand for retail real estate to serve its growing aspirational population. The city’s notably high shopping centre density highlights its strong commercial infrastructure, effectively meeting urban needs.