What you see – If you are looking for a complete international shopping experience like that of Harrods in London and of Wal-Mart in the US, then look no further, as Hypercity in Mumbai give these stores a run for their money. Hypercity, right next to Inorbit Mall in Malad (West) and near the Chincholi Bunder junction, can be spotted from any direction that you head from. In fact, the massive Inorbit Mall also does not dwarf Hypercity, and one can easily see the distinctive orange, red, blue and green colors of its logo from a distance.
 
What you get – Spread over 40,000 square feet, Hypercity’s massive one-storey building houses everything from men’s, women’s and kids’ clothing, utensils, groceries, imported fruits and food products, household essentials, cosmetics, multi-brand electronics, consumer durables and toys. The ground floor is neatly divided into spacious segments that house different categories of food, household essentials, pet-care products, home decor items and utensils. The store has been designed in such a way that when you enter the store, you naturally walk in the direction towards the groceries, then towards the bakery, wine and food items sections and then towards the counters for utensils and home decor items.

Hypercity is not just known for having everything under its roof, but is also known for the variety and quality of products that it  offers. For instance, the store has plenty of internationally renowned food items like preserves, biscuits, oils and sauces from the Waitrose brand. Hypercity also has a policy of providing fresh vegetables, poultry, meat and fish to its customers. So, under its Fresh Basket label, the store houses freshly-baked bread varieties, whole vegetables and fruits, cut vegetables and fruits, cut poultry, and fresh meat and fish (cut on that day itself). MetroMela checks this out on visiting Hypercity the very next day. We observe that, in the first hour itself, attendants stock shelves with new packs of fruits, vegetables and packed non-vegetarian food. In utensils, furnishings and home decor items, we see famous brands like Tosca Portico and Prestige. The ground floor also has a live kitchen, a Desi cafe and Brio restaurant, a Crossword bookstore, Kaya Skin clinic, a 24-hour pharmacy and an HSBC ATM counter.
 
The first floor of the mall is mainly for furniture for homes, multi-brand electronics, sports goods, toys and for clothes (for the family). The furniture range includes dining tables, futons, bed sets and cupboards that were priced between Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 40,000. The electronic section had all kinds of gadgets like televisions, home theater systems, washing machines, microwave ovens and refrigerators from brands like LG, Videocon, Whirlpool, Samsung and Haier. This section also has a soundproof home theater room where you can test the quality of the sound of the home theater system that you intend to buy.

Our verdict – Overall, MetroMela finds that Hypercity is a great place to shop. You can find everything starting from shoes and food to furniture here. Although it houses a large number of items, the store is neither crowded nor cramped. All the shelves are neatly stacked and don't look cluttered, and the aisles are also quite spacious to move freely with the trolley, without bumping into someone else. While Hypercity does tend to get crowded over the weekends, it has over 30 billing counters that prevent a pile-up of customers at the billing counters. Parking space is available.

Anytime between – 9.30 AM – 9.30 PM

By Priyanka Chowdhury