Virtuous Retail announces brand launch of VR Bangalore-Opening in spring 2015

Partners blueFROG and Unveils “Whitefield Blues” Musical Festival

Virtuous Retail, India's largest institutionally owned developer-operator of lifestyle shopping centers, announced the Brand Launch of its Flagship Retail Center VR Bangalore at a gala event held at the Retail Leadership Summit. Following the successful launch of VR Surat in May 2013 which also saw the debut of Zara in Gujarat, VR Bangalore is the second retail lifestyle destination in a series of developments under the Virtuous Retail umbrella in key locations across India’s top cities including Chennai, Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata. On the occasion of the Brand Launch, Virtuous Retail announced its partnership with blueFROG, India’s premiere live music performance club which will open doors at VR Bangalore, and will be a part of an exclusive collection of luxury and super-premium retail, entertainment and F&B brands.

As part of Virtuous Retail’s 'Connecting Communities' programme, VR Bangalore will play host to “Whitefield Blues” – an annual jazz and blues festival that will be held in Spring 2015 as part of the Center’s opening celebrations. As a curtain raiser to the Festival, Virtuous Retail presented the “Gypsy All Stars”, a collaborative collective featuring alumnae of the legendary Gypsy Kings as well as folk singers from Rajasthan, who played a specially titled set “Garden City” as a tribute to the wonderful city of Bangalore.

While talking about blueFROG's partnership with Virtuous Retail, Simran Mulchandani Co-Founder and Managing Director, blueFROG said, “We are delighted to bring 'The blueFROG Bar & Grill' to Whitefield, Bangalore, which is arguably the music capital of the subcontinent, and we are particularly excited to partner Virtuous Retail. In doing so, we believe we have found a like-minded and visionary collaborator who will help evangelize the live entertainment and music space to a whole new level. This will be the first time that blueFROG will be opening in a retail center. We will be positioning blueFROG as an all day arts &entertainment space featuring great food, drinks, music, workshops and comedy. It will leverage footfalls in the center and the vibrant area of Whitefield. We are excited to be a part of the opening festivities in 2015.”

“We envision VR Bangalore to be a focal point for the community where people will congregate for festivals, celebrations and events. VR Bangalore is positioned as a community destination where we will institute cultural programmes along with world-class organisations. We are very proud that VR Bangalore is not only an economic catalyst, but also a cultural one.” said Anupam Yog, Marketing Director, Virtuous Retail.

With over 600,000 sq. ft. of retail, community, entertainment and leisure space, VR Bangalore promises to become a cultural melting pot that derives its soul from the unique heritage of Bangalore. Reflecting the distinct style of Bangalore, shoppers will enjoy premium to luxury retail with chic and trendy fashion labels from the world over. A window to the gastronomic world, international standard kitchens and diverse brands will serve authentic food from every corner of the globe while also spotlighting local cuisines.

Virtuous Retail will introduce its innovative 'Master Retailer' formats, one of which is “Whitefield Arms”, an authentic British pub that will sit alongside a beautifully landscape community event space aptly named “Garden City” tastefully curated with art installations that celebrate Bangalore and the historic suburb of Whitefield. Another 'Master Retailer' format that VR Bangalore will host is "Foodbox" which will spotlight multi-cuisine all day dining options for shoppers and visitors for an unmatched experience to make every family outing special.

Strategically located in Whitefield, VR Bangalore will be the region’s first experiential shopping destination. With a burgeoning cosmopolitan population, the buzzing suburb of Whitefield is home to world-class office space, international hotels, high-end residential townships and glitzy retail spaces. Whitefield is connected to the city centre and high-end residential areas like Indira Nagar and Frazer Town by the OMR while the ORR connects it to neighbouring suburbs like Brookfield, Marathalli, Electronic City, Varthur and Sarjapur.

About Virtuous Retail

Established in 2007, Virtuous Retail (VR) is an institutionally owned developer-operator of community oriented premium lifestyle shopping centres in India's top cities. Virtuous Retail's pan-India portfolio includes prime city centre locations in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Surat and Kolkata, making it the leading platform of quality real estate retail in one of the world's most attractive consumer markets for organized retail. Virtuous Retail combines global expertise and local knowledge to create high performance retail environments with strong urban connections. The company's long term vision is to create new social hubs for the urban Indian consumer. It does this through "Connecting Communities™"

- a platform for cultural festivals, public-private partnerships and cross border collaborations that encourage civic pride, strengthen the local economy and enhance the city's brand image. Virtuous Retail is sponsored by The Xander Group Inc., a leading emerging markets investment firm, which has committed US$ 600 MM in equity to the platform.

Learn more on www.virtuousretail.com.