The once-thriving Eternity mall today bears all the indications of a phantom mall. The detail doom reflects the reality at over half of the 40-odd malls in Mumbai, which shows low footfalls and high vacancy.

The credit card machine at the desk of Supriya Maiti burst into a fit of helpless laughter as the mahine hasn’t burped a bill in almost a year, despite the sign board outside the glass door saying 20 pc off loudly.

Even if the numbers of customers are 50, Maiti is sure no one would walk into her store, where since January, escalators became stairs. The store has suffered 100 pc losses this year.

According to a survey, 54 pc malls in the financial capital are lying vacant, second to Delhi-NCR region. It is because of failure of design and not having adequate brands in the stores to satisfy the customers.

Bad parking facility, poor location, and competitions with multinational brands are can be the other reason. Recently, many International brands have shut down while others are dragging their feet.