The Hindu Business Line : US co upbeat on Indian architectural space

What is common to the US-based hotelier Mr Sant Singh Chatwal, Indian infrastructure major GMR Industries, Telugu film star Akkineni Nagarjuna, Pop singer Ms Smitha, the Hyderabad-based Magna Hyper Stores, Indu Projects and a leading Indian corporate house that has major retail foray plans?

Either they have already roped in the US-based architectural services major Architectural Group International Inc (AGI) and its Indian business associate Retail Design & Merchandising (RD&M) for procuring cutting-edge design concepts for their projects or are in the process of doing so.

AGI's expertise

AGI's expertise in architectural services ranges from small speciality stores to large retail and mixed use developments, while RD&M is a team of architects, interior designers, engineers and project managers providing design-build services.

AGI has to its credit popular projects such as The Habitat, JC Penney, Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Lotte, Neiman Marcus, SAKS, The Home Depot and The Body Shop globally.

Whereas, RD&M has executed several branded environment projects that include Wills Life Style, Hutchison Whampoa, Hexaware, ADC Krone, Al Zubair Group, ITC Sheraton Hotels and Magna Hyper Stores involving a capital investment of over Rs 270 crore per annum.

According to Mr David F. Cassidy, founder of the Western Division of AGI, his company in association with RD&M, is likely to replicate the Dallas Airport experience in the second phase of the Hyderabad International Airport coming up at Shamshabad.

Airport project

"We are at an early stage of discussions with the GMR Group for designing a one lakh sq ft business support facility adjoining the airport to cater to the needs of air travellers. This would act as a plug-and-play facility for the businessmen on travel, apart from offering retail and F&B services," he told a group of newspersons here.

AGI and RD&M have already signed up with Chatwals Group for helping them establish four major restaurants-cum-spa facilities in Kochi, Kerala, Bangalore and Hyderabad each having around 150-room capacity.

"We are executing a chain of high-end seamless malls for a leading Indian corporate house across the country. These projects would take off sometime by July next," the RD&M Managing Director, Mr Mani M. Nagasubramanian, said, while declining to divulge the identity of the corporate major.

The AGI-RD&M combine is also executing two major gated communities projects with around 200 villas in Bangalore near the new airport, he said.

In Andhra Pradesh, RD&M has executed eight seamless malls for Magna Hyper Stores with around three lakh sq ft of retail space.

Other projects

It is currently taking up another three lakh sq ft of retail space for Magna in Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, apart helping the company's foray into Karnataka as well.

"We have successfully executed the `Bubbles' chain of beauty parlours and spa for Pop Singer Ms Smitha at Hyderabad and Vijayawada and are currently helping the chain set up facilities at several cities and towns across the State and also in other States of South India. We are also at an early round of negotiations with the Telugu film star Mr Nagarjuna to help him in his dream project of a major entertainment-cum-hospitality facility in the city," Mr Nagasubramanian said.

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