Jun 08, 2004 01:38 AM
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(Updated Jun 08, 2004 01:38 AM)
Being a trivia buff, I was floored when someone asked me where India?s largest footwear showroom is. To my surprise, I came to know it?s in Hyderabad? the very city where I have been living for the past 10 years. The name of this showroom is THE LOFT. Just a few hours back, I visited THE LOFT located in Panjagutta, near the Nagarjuna circle.
The moment I stepped into the showroom, I felt as if I were in an alien land and discovered that world-class retaining outlets are here to stay. Such was the impressive look of THE LOFT, which has an area of 22, 000 sq ft and showcases more than one lakh pairs of footwear from over 130 of world?s best-known brands. Of these 130 brands(both Indian as well as imported), 23 brands of footwear are exclusively available at THE LOFT.
The outlet has a 160-foot jogging track made of Astroturf to help customers check whether the shoes they buy fit well. The store projects the jogging track as its USP and claims that no other footwear shop in the country has such a facility. The jogging track helps customers to buy shoes that feel good rather than look good.
THE LOFT not only sells footwear but also focuses'foot care' thereby distinguishing itself from many ordinary footwear stores. Apart from the jogging track, the outlet has many unique facilities like foot specialist, pedicure center, corn removing and in-grown nail, cobbler etc. The showroom also has podiatrist(a foot care specialist) who visits the store every fortnight to advise the customers about how to pick their footwear.
The showroom is spread over three storeys. There are separate sections for formal, informal, sportswear, men, women, kids etc. THE LOFT also stocks almost all footwear accessories including, shoe polishes, shoe trees, brushes, shoe cleaners, shoe shiners, insoles, laces, shoe horns, shoe bags etc. In short, THE LOFT can be touted as a one-stop destination for all your footwear and footcare needs. Some of the famous footwear brands I came across at THE LOFT include: Clarks, Florsheim, Dr Scholl?s, First Step, Dot n Dash, Frank Brunelli, Lanis, Marie Claire, Piccasso etc. There are other popular brands such as Bata, Adidas, First Step, Reebok, Nike, Mojari, Oakridge, Puma, Power, Portland, Woodland, Lee Cooper, Hush Puppies, and many more!
You can see the?footwear buying tips? the moment you enter into the showroom. This sounded nice and gelled well with the showroom?s idea of educating the consumer on how to buy, wear and maintain good footwear. No matter what your budget is, there?s footwear waiting for you at Loft(as the prices start from as low as Rs 29 and go up to Rs 26, 000). I interacted with the staff who are courteous enough to show me some of the famous brands they stock and shared with me the unique services offered at THE LOFT.
A cobbler's corner offers repair facilities - free of charge for footwear bought from the store, while the footwear from outside too will be repaired at nominal cost. Shoe cleaning is done free to all customers entering the store. The pedicure salon seems to be a new concept in a footwear store. Just sit back and watch your feet become squeaky clean in a few minutes.
Professionally done, the pedicure costs about Rs. 175. If you buy footwear worth Rs 1750 or above, you can get the pedicure done FREE within 15 days from the day of purchase. I came to know that the store is going have a foot massager soon whereby one has to put one's feet on it for 15 minutes to have a rejuvenated feeling in the body and the feet. WOW! All these services can be a great rejuvenating experience for all those aching feet.
If you are intrigued why the showroom is named THE LOFT, it?s because it is a store without any loft(usually most footwear shops have a loft from where the salesmen throw down the boxes of shoes). I?m sure THE LOFT will definitely scale newer heights as it has already put its attracting offerings(shall I call them `The Best Foot?) forward.
If you are a Hyderabadi or happen to visit Hyderabad, don?t forget to step inside'THE LOFT' where a world of comfort and style awaits you to give your feet the much-deserved pampered treatment. The address of this unique footwear showroom is: The Loft, Osman Plaza, Nagarjuna Circle, Panjagutta, Hyderabad.
-Murali Duggineni.
PS: It?s sad that Mouthshut doesn?t have a separate section for the'shopping malls in Hyderabad'. That?s why I?m compelled to post my review under this section.
