Malls of 2047 will compete on experiences and engagement, not shopping alone
At the panel discussion “Last But Not The Least: Will Malls Continue with its Sheen in 2047?” at the 4th ETRetail ShopFWD Summit 2026, leaders from Sylcon Group, Infiniti Malls, HiLITE Malls, Nexus Select Malls, Inorbit Malls and Mantri Developers said shopping centres will remain relevant by evolving into experience-led, mixed-use and community-focused ecosystems where engagement, local relevance and reasons to visit matter more than transactions alone.
Shopping malls are unlikely to disappear by 2047, but the conventional “shopping mall” may become increasingly difficult to recognise as destinations expand beyond merchandise into entertainment, food, community, services, social interaction and experiences that cannot be delivered through a screen or within minutes. That emerged as the central takeaway from the panel discussion “Last But Not The Least: Will Malls Continue with its Sheen in 2047?” at the 4th ETRetail ShopFWD Summit 2026. The discussion featured Faizan Mohamed, Executive Director, Sylcon Group; Mukesh Kumar, CEO, Infiniti Malls; Muhamed Fawaz, CEO, HiLITE Malls; Jayen Naik, President Operations, Nexus Select Malls; Rohit Gopalani, CBO, Inorbit Malls; and Anupam T, Chief Executive Officer, Retail & Commercial, Mantri Developers Pvt. Ltd. It was moderated by Charu Lamba, Deputy Editor, ETRetail. Advt
Across the conversation, the leaders argued that e-commerce and quick commerce have not eliminated the role of physical retail; they have raised the threshold for why consumers should leave their homes. For malls, the answer increasingly lies in creating destinations built around time, emotion, community and engagement rather than relying only on shopping as the anchor.
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