Lulu Cochin Mall
LuLu International Shopping Mall is India's largest shopping mall in Gross Leasable Area and second-largest shopping mall in Gross Floor Area. It is located in the Edapally neighbourhood of Kochi, Kerala. It is built on an area of 17 acres, with the gross floor area of the mall alone at 2,500,000 square feet (232,000 m2). A premium five-star, 20-storey, 300-room hotel managed by JW Marriott Hotels is located adjacent to it, within the mall compound. Opened on 10 March 2013, the mall consists of more than 300 outlets including food courts, restaurants, family entertainment zones, a nine-screen multiplex, South India's largest ice skating rink and a 12 lane bowling alley. The estimated cost for this project is more than INR 16 billion. The mall is run, managed and set up by the EMKE Group, a business group with interests in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The EMKE Group's managing director is M. A. Yousuf Ali, who is an NRI from Kerala, based in the UAE.LocationThe mall is located at Edappally Junction, a prime location at the meeting point of three major highways – NH 47, NH 17, and the Kochi Bypass. It is expected to serve as a landmark for the state of Kerala. The opening of the mall has caused a major traffic bottleneck in the area and the NHAI along with the civic body is planning to construct a flyover above NH 47 and NH 17. They are temporarily using the government-owned land available on either side of the road to enable motorists a free left turn. The LuLu Group has built its own self-contained city in the surrounding areas of the mall. In recent years, the mall management gradually procured the needed land.
