Nauman Thakur’s Journey from Memoirs to Management

Mall Management Maestro

Srinagar: Mohammed Nauman Thakur, a trailblazer from Kashmir, has unveiled a quintet of instructive booklets, now available on Amazon, that collectively form the ‘Handbook on Shopping Mall Management: Simplified.’

This compendium serves as a beacon for enthusiasts and professionals seeking to unravel the shopping center industry.

Thakur's second foray into literature follows his debut, ‘My Memoir: Essentials of Mall Management,’ offering readers an intimate glimpse into his formative years and the inception of his journey in the realm of shopping center management.

Anticipating a 30 trilliondollar industry value by 2030, ‘Handbook on Shopping Mall Management: Simplified’ meticulously dissects future trends and challenges while underscoring the economic impact, growth factors, and evolving consumer preferences shaping this dynamic sector.

Thakur, with a successful career managing super-regional shopping centers in the Middle East, including the renowned Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi, now endeavours to pass on his wealth of knowledge to investors and professionals involved in the burgeoning shopping mall scene in Kashmir.

“In the Middle East, I managed a number of superregional shopping centers, including Al Wahda Mall, Mazyad Mall, and Al Raha Mall in Abu Dhabi,” Thakur says.

However, a poignant moment during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he could not attend his mother’s funeral due to travel restrictions, prompted him to refocus on his homeland.

Thakur identified a shopping mall boom in Kashmir and founded ‘Bricks and Clicks,’ a mall management and retail advisory company.

The venture aims to elevate the shopping mall experience in the region by providing quality standards and services in development, leasing, marketing, accounting, and diligent mall operations.

Furthermore, he now imparts his three-decade expertise as a course instructor on shopping mall management at Udemy, boasting a high rating.

Looking forward, Thakur envisions establishing a school on Shopping Mall Management in Kashmir, offering comprehensive professional training.

“The course will delve into every aspect of shopping mall management, from leasing to marketing, mechanical to plumbing, security to cleaning,” he says.

Thakur is particularly keen on transforming shopping malls into vibrant community centers, akin to successful models in cities like Gurgaon and New Delhi.

He feels Sangarmaal Shopping Complex is the most aesthetically pleasing among all shopping centers in Kashmir while City Walk has relatively efficient management and Sarah City Mall has a smaller parking space.