Nilgiri's comes to Padur

 The evening before formal  opening of Nilgiri's at Padur.

Nilgiri's have opened shop at Padur, but at the crowded market street on a narrow stretch of OMR. A perfect prescription for peak-hour traffic jam on OMR. Location of Nilgiri's at Padur main street has evoked mixed reaction from neighbourhood residents
Apparently, residents at  Mantri Synergy welcome the development. Not many might know that Nilgiri's was among the retail chains - Spenser's and Reliance were the others - approached by PropCare  for setting up shop at the clubhouse,  at a time when we were less than 50 families in the complex. But then no retailer wanted to move in till we were at least 100 families.

Incidentally,  Angaadi  veg. vendor was at Mantri's before, an year-and-a-half back. Mr Raghavan of Angaadi  online veg. mart set up shop on Sunday evenings, for a few weeks, as a stop-gap arrangement. This was the time span  between failure of  negotiations with Nilgiri's  and Spenser's,  and  the setting up of Sarvamangala Stores in Oct.end, 2011.
It was said Nilgiri's, and other retail chains with brand image,  wanted Mantri's to provide rent-free space for a year,  and they also laid down other conditions for setting up shop in our complex.  At some point of time there was talk of Nilgiri's taking up space in a building under construction at Hindustan University, where IOB has moved in
Small retailers and grocery stores in Padur market area feel threatened, business-wise,  with the opening of Nilgiri's right in the middle of their neighbourhood. Political parties opposing FDI in retail, on the plea that allowing in foreign retail chains would kill domestic  traders, seem not to realize that it is not Walmart, but Nilgiri's and other domestic retail chains that pose a more immediate threat to neighbourhood shops.