Mall unit or high street: two different projects
| Mall unit | High-street shop | |
|---|---|---|
| Handover | Fixed date, bare shell with services brought to the unit boundary | Whenever the landlord clears it, usually with the previous tenant's works in place |
| Fit-out window | 40 – 45 days, penalty for overrun | As long as you take |
| Working hours | Night working, typically 10pm – 8am | Daytime, subject to neighbouring shops |
| Approvals | Mall's design team approves shopfront, signage and services drawings | TMC licences only, plus the landlord |
| Services you inherit | HVAC to the unit, fire loop, drainage, grease line, power at the panel | A water connection and a power meter |
| ₹ per sq ft | ₹1,900 – 2,700 | ₹1,500 – 2,200 |
| Hidden costs | Barricade, mall charges, deposits, after-hours supervision | Services you did not know were missing |
The 45-day window, and how it is actually met
A mall hands over the unit, publishes the opening date, and everything in between is yours. Forty-five days is enough — but only if the design is frozen and the approvals are in before handover. The projects that overrun are the ones where the shopfront drawing was still being revised when the unit was released. What we do: submit shopfront, signage and services drawings for mall approval four to six weeks before handover; pre-fabricate all joinery off site so the unit sees assembly, not carpentry; sequence services first and finishes last, in a fixed nightly rhythm; and hold a full-time night supervisor for the duration, because the mall will only admit crews between 10pm and 8am and a crew that arrives without a pass has lost a night.
Forty-five nights, one opening date
Worked example: 2,800 sq ft family restaurant, mall unit
A second-level unit in an established Thane mall. A hundred and twenty covers, a full production kitchen, no bar. Services are brought to the unit boundary: HVAC, a grease line, drainage, fire loop and power at the panel.
| Scope | ₹ lakh | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Barricade, protection and mall charges | 1.80 | Printed barricade to the mall's standard; deposits and access charges |
| Civil and drainage | 4.20 | Levelling, kitchen drainage falls, waterproofing to wet areas |
| Kitchen — civil, exhaust and gas | 11.80 | Connection to the mall's grease line and exhaust riser; gas bank |
| Beverage counter and service line | 2.60 | Cold counter, dispense, glass wash |
| Joinery, seating and fixtures | 13.40 | Banquettes, tables, host desk, waiting bench, service stations |
| Flooring | 3.60 | Porcelain to circulation, timber-effect vinyl to seating, non-slip to kitchen |
| Ceiling and lighting | 7.90 | Acoustic ceiling, dimmable scheme with lunch and dinner scenes |
| Electrical, DB and small power | 5.30 | Sub-DB from the mall panel; kitchen and dining circuits separated |
| HVAC connection and ventilation | 4.80 | Unit-side ductwork, diffusers, kitchen make-up air |
| Fire detection and suppression | 2.20 | Hood suppression, detection tie-in, mall re-commissioning |
| Shopfront and signage | 3.00 | To the mall's approved drawing; illuminated signage |
| Project management and night supervision | 1.00 | Full-time night supervisor for 45 nights |
| Total, ex-GST | 61.60 | ₹2,200 per sq ft carpet |
Add 18% GST. Night supervision and barricade are ₹2.8 lakh of this and appear in no first-draft budget we have ever been shown.
Two things specific to trading in Thane
- TMC licensing is its own workstream. Food establishment, health trade and signage licences all go through Thane Municipal Corporation, each with its own drawing and inspection requirement, and they do not run in the same queue as the mall's approvals. We start the file at design freeze. A unit that is built and cannot open is the worst outcome in this business and it is always a paperwork failure, never a construction one.
- The catchment is regional and weekend-weighted. Thane malls draw from Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivli and Mira Road, and weekend footfall can be three times a weekday. Design for the peak: queueing space that does not block the aisle, a waiting bench, washrooms sized on the Saturday evening peak rather than an average, and a service line that can be staffed at two speeds.
The high-street alternative
A shop on Gokhale Road, in the Naupada market lanes or on the Ghodbunder retail stretch costs 25 to 30% less per square foot to fit out and considerably less to rent. What you give up is everything the mall provides invisibly: a grease line, a fire system, air conditioning brought to the unit, a maintained shopfront line, parking, and footfall that arrives without marketing. For a business with an existing local following — a sweet shop, a clinic, a salon, a neighbourhood restaurant — the high street is frequently the better deal. For a brand that needs footfall it rarely is, and we will say so before quoting.
For the suburb overall, including housing and offices, see interior designers in Thane. For our commercial method across Mumbai, see commercial interior designers in Mumbai.
Retail and hospitality work by Greenbox Design Studio.
Frequently asked questions
Is 45 days really enough for a restaurant fit-out?+
Yes, if the design is frozen and the mall's approvals are in before handover. It is not enough if the shopfront drawing is still being revised when you get the keys. Pre-fabricating joinery off site is what makes it work — the unit should see assembly, not carpentry.
What do mall charges actually cover?+
Barricade to the mall's printed standard, a refundable fit-out deposit, access and lift charges, after-hours security supervision, debris removal through the mall's contractor, and re-commissioning of the fire and HVAC tie-ins. On a 2,800 square foot unit it is ₹1.5–₹2 lakh and it belongs in the first budget, not the final account.
Do we need a grease line, and what if the unit does not have one?+
Any unit with a production kitchen needs one, and a mall unit designated for F&B will have it brought to the boundary. A high-street shop will not, and installing one retrospectively means an interceptor, a pumped line and the landlord's agreement. Check it before you sign — it is the commonest reason a cheap high-street unit stops being cheap.
How long do TMC licences take?+
Plan on six to ten weeks for a food establishment licence from a complete application, and run it in parallel with construction from design freeze. The drawings TMC wants are not the drawings the mall wants, so both sets get prepared at the same time rather than sequentially.
Is Thane cheaper than Mumbai for retail fit-out?+
About 15–20% cheaper at the same specification, mostly on labour and on landlord regimes that are less prescriptive about materials. Mall units narrow the gap because the mall's standards and charges are similar everywhere. High-street units are where the real saving is.