Shopping in Chennai
Retail industry -- Notable shopping malls
Table:
Name	Location	Year	Size

Spencer Plaza	Mount Road	1863	250,000 sq ft ( 23,000 m )

Alsa Mall	Montieth Road , Egmore	1998

Abhirami Mega Mall	Purasawalkam	2003

Mayajaal	Kanathur , East Coast Road	2006	30,000 sq ft ( 2,800 m )

Chennai Citi Centre	Dr.Radhakrishnan Salai , Mylapore	2006	117,600 sq ft ( 10,930 m )

Ampa Skywalk	Poonamallee High Road , Aminjikarai	2009	650,000 sq ft ( 60,000 m )

Express Avenue	Whites Road , Royapettah	2010	1,500,000 sq ft ( 140,000 m )

Chandra Mall	Arcot road , Virugambakkam	2011	143,130 sq ft ( 13,297 m )

Coromandel Plaza	Navalur , OMR	2011	300,000 sq ft ( 28,000 m )

Spectrum Mall	Paper Mills Road , Perambur	2011	160,000 sq ft ( 15,000 m )

Ramee Mall	Anna Salai , Teynampet	2012	225,000 sq ft ( 20,900 m )

Bergamo	Khader Nawaz Khan Road , Nungambakkam	2012	40,000 sq ft ( 3,700 m )

Gold Souk Grandé Mall Chennai	GST Road , Vandalur	2015	800,000 sq ft ( 74,000 m )

Phoenix Market City ( Chennai )	Velachery	2013	2,400,000 sq ft ( 220,000 m )

Forum Vijaya Mall	Arcot road , Vadapalani	2013	700,000 sq ft ( 65,000 m )

VR Chennai	Inner Ring Road , Anna Nagar West	2018	2,000,000 sq ft ( 190,000 m )

Consulting the table as well as the passages provided at the end.

Give the answer to the question: When did the mall located in the area that serves as the southern gateway to Chennai city unveiled ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

Spencer Plaza ( Tamil : ஸ்பென்சர் பிளாசா ) is a shopping mall located on Anna Salai in Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India , and is one of the modern landmarks of the city . Originally built during the period of the British Raj and reconstructed in 1985 on the site of the original Spencer 's department store , it is the oldest shopping mall in India and was one of the biggest shopping malls in South Asia when it was built . It is one of the earliest Grade A commercial projects of the city , which were developed in the second half of the 1990s . As of March 2010 , it is the 11th largest mall in the country , with a gross lettable area of 530,000 sq ft .
Anna Salai , formerly known as St. Thomas Mount Road or simply Mount Road , is an arterial road in Chennai , India . It starts at the Cooum Creek , south of Fort St George , leading in a south-westerly direction towards St. Thomas Mount , and ends at the Kathipara Junction in Guindy . Beyond the Kathipara Junction , a branch road arises traversing westwards to Poonamallee to form the Mount-Poonamallee Road while the main branch continuing southwards to Chennai Airport , Tambaram and beyond to form Grand Southern Trunk Road ( GST Road or NH45 ) . Anna Salai , which is more than 400 years old , is acknowledged as the most important road in Chennai city . The head offices of many commercial enterprises and public buildings are located along Anna Salai . It is the second longest road in Chennai , after Poonamallee High Road . There were several flyover projects under proposal along the stretch , many of which have been shelved owing to the construction of the Chennai Metro Rail project , which runs along the median of the road . Anna Salai Head Post office , one of the most important post offices in the city , is located on this road . It was established in 1854 as Mount Road SO as a non-gazetted delivery office . With the growth of commerce and urbanization , this SO was upgraded to gazetted in the year 1955 . Nomenclature of this Head Post office was changed from Mount Road Head Post office to Anna Road Head Post office on 15 September 1974 .
Alsa Mall is a shopping mall on Montieth Road in the neighbourhood of Egmore in Chennai , India . Established in the mid-1980s , along with the Spencer Plaza , it is one of the oldest surviving malls in the city .
Elumbur , formerly known as Egmore , is a neighbourhood of Chennai , India . Situated on the northern banks of the Coovum River , Egmore is an important residential area as well as a commercial and transportation hub . The Egmore Railway Station was the main terminus of the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway and later , the metre gauge section of the Southern division of the Indian Railways . It continues to be an important railway junction . The Government Museum , Chennai is also situated in Egmore . Other important institutions based in Egmore include the Government Women and Children 's Hospital , the Tamil Nadu State Archives and the Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department . The Wesley Church , Egmore is the oldest church of the region .
Abirami Mega Mall is a shopping mall located in Purasawalkam , Chennai . It was constructed in 2003 . It is named after its owner Abirami Ramanathan . It also contains popular theaters around Chennai .
Purasawakkam , also known as Purasaiwakkam or Purasai , is a residential area and shopping district in Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu , India . It is close to the Chennai Central and Egmore railway stations . Purasawakkam is considered a perfect mixture of commercial and residential hub .
Mayajaal ( Phantasmagoria ) is an entertainment center in Kanathur , Chennai , India . It is located on the East Coast Road and spread over an area of 30 acres . It consists of a shopping mall , a multiplex , a sports complex and a resort . Mayajaal has a sixteen screen multiplex and it is the second largest multiplex in Asia . The sports complex was started in 2003 , which also hosted the Indian Cricket League matches . The Resort was opened in 2005 with 40 rooms . The 30,000 sq.ft shopping mall was opened in 2006 .
State Highway 49 , also known as East Coast Road ( ECR ) , is a two-lane highway ( now being upgraded to four-lane way ) in Tamil Nadu , India , built along the coast of the Bay of Bengal connecting Tamil Nadu 's state capital city Chennai with Cuddalore via Pondicherry . The East Coast Road has been extended up to Kanyakumari via Chidambaram , Sirkali , Akkur , Tharangambadi , Karaikal , Nagore , Nagapattinam , Thiruthuraipoondi , Muthupet , Adirampattinam , Pattukkottai Manora , Manamelkudi , Mimisal , Ramanathapuram , Koodankulam , Thoothukudi . The total length of the road is about 800 km between Chennai and Kanyakumari . The highway is a state highway maintained by the Government of Tamil Nadu under the Department of Highways and Minor Ports . It was a two-lane state highway , and has been partially upgraded to four-lane divided highway . The Chennai neighbourhoods on ECR are Thiruvanmiyur , Kottivakkam , Palavakkam , Neelankarai , Injambakkam , Panaiyur , Uthandi , Muttukadu , Covelong and Vilambur .
The Chennai Citi Centre is a shopping mall in Mylapore , Chennai , India . It opened on 3 March 2006 and is located on Radhakrishnan Salai . According to Cushman and Wakefield , a global real estate consultancy firm , it is one of the most expensive shopping malls in Chennai .
Mylapore ( Mayilāppūr ) is a neighborhood in the central part of the city of Chennai , India . It is one of the oldest residential parts of the city . It is also called Thirumayilai . The locality is claimed to be the birthplace of the celebrated Tamil philosopher Valluvar . Mylapore is known for its tree-lined avenues , Kapaleeshwarar Temple , Katcheri seasons and Ramakrishna Math among many others . Portuguese invaded and demolished the original Kapaleeshwarar Temple and built San Thome Basilica which houses the tomb of Thomas the Apostle .
Ampa Skywalk is a shopping mall in Chennai , India . With three floors of retail space , it has outlets for major clothing and apparel brands , a seven-screen multiplex , a games zone and a food court .
Aminjikarai , originally Amaindakarai , is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India . The arterial Poonamallee High Road ( NH 4 ) runs through it . Aminjikarai was annexed to Madras District in the year 1946 , and Arumbakkam and Anna Nagar were carved out of Aminjikarai in the 1950s and 1970s . The Nelson Manickam Road that traverses through Aminjikarai is an important commercial road in Chennai city .
Express Avenue ( Tamil : எக்ஸ்ப்ரெஸ் அவென்யூ ) is a shopping mall in Chennai promoted by Express Infrastructure , A division of Express Newspapers Pvt . Ltd . It is home to the largest gaming arcade in South India . Built at a cost of ₹7,500 million ( US $ 110 million ) , the 1,750,000-square-foot ( 163,000 m2 ) mall has 10 anchor tenants and 150 vanilla tenants .
Whites Road in Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India branches off from Anna Salai , Chennai 's arterial road near National Insurance Company after Thousand Lights Mosque and reaches up to Royapettah Clock Tower near Wesley Church . Chennai 's famous Express Avenue shopping mall is located on this road . Major institutions located at this road includes
Chennai ( /ˈtʃɛnaɪ/ ( listen ) , Tamil : [ t͡ʃenːai ] ) , also known as Madras ( /məˈdrɑːs/ ( listen ) or /-ˈdræs/ , the official name until 1996 ) , is the capital of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu . Located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal , it is the biggest cultural , economic and educational centre of south India . According to the 2011 Indian census , it is the sixth-most populous city and fourth-most populous urban agglomeration in India . The city together with the adjoining regions constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area , which is the 36th-largest urban area by population in the world . Chennai is among the most-visited Indian cities by foreign tourists . It was ranked the 43rd-most visited city in the world for the year 2015 . The Quality of Living Survey rated Chennai as the safest city in India . Chennai attracts 45 percent of health tourists visiting India , and 30 to 40 percent of domestic health tourists . As such , it is termed India 's health capital . Chennai had the third-largest expatriate population in India , at 35,000 in 2009 , 82,790 in 2011 and estimated at over 100,000 by 2016 . Tourism-guide publisher Lonely Planet named Chennai as one of the top ten cities in the world to visit in 2015 . Chennai is ranked as a beta-level city in the Global Cities Index , and was ranked the best city in India by India Today in the 2014 annual Indian city survey .
Chandra Metro Mall is a shopping mall located at Virugambakkam , Chennai . The Mall with a built up area of 1.43 lakh sq.ft was opened on 9 April 2011 . The mall has a five screen multiplex with a capacity of 1300 seats called as INOX-NATIONAL operated by INOX Leisure . The mall has Food Bazaar , E-Zone , Pantaloons as its major Anchors . The Food court is spread over an area of 10000 sq.ft . The mall was built after demolishing the erstwhile National Theatre .
Virugambakkam is a residential neighbourhood of Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India . It is an important residential area of and is famous for its schools , market , residential colonies and residences of film artists . Virugambakkam had some of Chennai 's oldest film studios . Virugambakkam is one of the important localities of Chennai and owes its growth to the expansion of the city in the post-independence period . Prior to the establishment of residential colonies , Virugambakkam was a village covered by paddy fields , mangoe orchards and casurina trees . Virugambakkam was first included within the Chennai city limits in 1977 along with other villages like Saligramam . Virugambakkam is well-connected with the heart of Chennai city through roads . Buses running through Arcot Road link Virugambakkam with the more inner suburbs of Chennai city .
Navalur is a rapidly growing south suburban of Chennai , India and located just 5 km from Sholinganalur junction along Old Mahabalipuram Road . Navalur is located between Sholinganallur and Kelambakkam and comes under Thiruporur taluk of Chengalpattu district . This area was once a village ( around 2010 ) but with the advent of IT Companies and the rapid development of the Old Mahabalipuram Road ( New Mount road of Chennai ) , it has become a bustling and most demanded location in Chennai . Proximity to employment opportunities , good asset appreciation , outstanding road Infrastructure , proximity to beaches at ECR and other entertainment venues continues to attract more residents to this suburb . Navalur has become The Shopping Hub for Zone-2 ( Sholinganallur to Kelambakkam ) localities of OMR Road , due to the availability of International and National brand stores along with VIVIRA mall and The Marina mall . Sholinganalur-Navalur-Siruseri zone consists of around 40% IT professionals in Chennai especially in ELCOT and SIPCOT campus . Moreover this zone will create another 1 lakh IT jobs in next few years [ when ? ] due to huge land availability and many builders are constructing Grade-A IT parks here . With this huge development in short period of time in terms of both commercial and residential developments , Navalur is considered as The Next Velachery in Chennai . Navalur comes under Zone-2 ( Sholinganallur to Kelambakkam ) of OMR Road . According to recent survey , Chennai city will have a population of 15 million people by 2030 ( current population in 2019 is 11 million ) . Since population has already reached saturation point till Sholinganallur in OMR Road , more people ( around 10 lakh people ) will start migrating in Sholinganallur - Kelambakkam stretch till 2030 .
State Highway 49A also known as Rajiv Gandhi Salai and Rajiv Gandhi IT Expressway or just IT Expressway is a major road connecting Chennai , Tamil Nadu with Mahabalipuram in Kanchipuram district , Tamil Nadu . It is 45 km long and was earlier known as the Old Mahabalipuram Road ( OMR ) . The road starts from Madhya Kailash Temple on Sardar Patel Road in South-East Chennai and terminates on East Coast Road near Mahabalipuram .
Spectrum Mall ( formerly known as Grand Venus Mall ) is a shopping mall located in Perambur , Chennai , India . It is the first mall in North Chennai . The mall was developed at the site of erstwhile Venus theater on Paper Mills Road in Perambur . The mall is spread over an area of 160,000 square feet with two levels of retail shopping and a five screen multiplex . It has two levels of basement parking with capacity of 200 cars and 800 two wheelers . The mall is developed and promoted by Ganga Foundations . The mall has Big Bazaar as its anchor store The mall was soft launched in September 2011 as Grand Venus Mall . It was rebranded as Spectrum mall and was officially launched in September 2012 along with its multiplex S2 Cinemas .
Perambur is a neighbourhood in the northern region of Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India . It is 4 km from Chennai Central station . In Tamil , perambur means bamboo and ur means city or place . Before British rule , this place was widely regarded as a place which was a bamboo forest , around the Huzur Gardens area , which currently houses the Simpsons Pvt . Ltd . This area was annexed to Chennai in 1742 AD . Perambur is a notable railway town in the Indian Railways landscape as it is home to the Vande Bharat Express , produced at the Integral Coach Factory located here and also the presence of Chennai Rail Museum , in addition to the railway station serving to decongest the Chennai Central station by serving as a major alighting point for long distance trains passing through or terminating in the city from the North-Western end . The station is considered as the oldest railway station in the city after Royapuram . During the 2015 floods when most areas of Chennai was stranded in water , Perambur was the safest place available in Chennai . The water level came down rapidly and the people had their normal life restored much faster than other places in Chennai .
Ramee Mall is a shopping mall located in Anna Salai at Teynampet , Chennai . The mall with 2,25,000 sq.ft of built up area was opened in March 2012 . Built by Dubai-based Ramee group , the mall occupies the first three floors of the property . The remaining 15 floors are occupied by Hyatt Regency Chennai .
Anna Salai , formerly known as St. Thomas Mount Road or simply Mount Road , is an arterial road in Chennai , India . It starts at the Cooum Creek , south of Fort St George , leading in a south-westerly direction towards St. Thomas Mount , and ends at the Kathipara Junction in Guindy . Beyond the Kathipara Junction , a branch road arises traversing westwards to Poonamallee to form the Mount-Poonamallee Road while the main branch continuing southwards to Chennai Airport , Tambaram and beyond to form Grand Southern Trunk Road ( GST Road or NH45 ) . Anna Salai , which is more than 400 years old , is acknowledged as the most important road in Chennai city . The head offices of many commercial enterprises and public buildings are located along Anna Salai . It is the second longest road in Chennai , after Poonamallee High Road . There were several flyover projects under proposal along the stretch , many of which have been shelved owing to the construction of the Chennai Metro Rail project , which runs along the median of the road . Anna Salai Head Post office , one of the most important post offices in the city , is located on this road . It was established in 1854 as Mount Road SO as a non-gazetted delivery office . With the growth of commerce and urbanization , this SO was upgraded to gazetted in the year 1955 . Nomenclature of this Head Post office was changed from Mount Road Head Post office to Anna Road Head Post office on 15 September 1974 .
Teynampet is one of the busiest commercial localities in the city of Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India .
Bergamo is a shopping mall located in Nungambakkam , Chennai , India . It is located on Khader Nawaz Khan Road and spread over 40,000 sq.ft . The mall opened in August 2012 with Louis Vuitton as its first store . The mall is designed by DSP architects and built by KKA Buildtech at a cost of ₹10 Crore . It is considered to be the first luxury mall in Chennai , and the third in India . The building is designed to house 24 stores , each with an area ranging from 1600 sq . ft to 2000 sq . ft. Named after an Italian city , the white three storey building is influenced by classical Italian architecture .
Nungambakkam is a locality in downtown Chennai , India . The neighborhood abounds with multi-national commercial establishments , important government offices , foreign consulates , sprawling educational institutions , shopping malls , sporting facilities , tourist spots , star hotels , restaurants , and cultural centers . Nungambakkam is also a prime residential area in Chennai . The adjoining regions of Nungambakkam include Egmore , Chetput ( Chetpet ) , T. Nagar , Kodambakkam , Choolaimedu and Kilpauk .
Gold Souk Grandé is a shopping mall , in the city of Chennai , India . The project was unveiled in April 2009 by actress Shobana . It is located next to Crescent Engineering College in Chennai and will be operational by first quarter of 2015 . This is creating a record for itself by becoming the longest project in gestation period and construction period . Spread in the total built up area of 800,000 sq ft ( 74,000 m2 ) , the mall will have five floors with gross leasable area of 600,000 sq ft ( 56,000 m2 ) dedicated to hypermarket , anchors , vanilla brands , multiplex , food court , QSR and Ramada Hotel . Pizza Hut was operating on the ground floor but has been replaced by Papa John 's pizza . The mall is part of the Gold Souk chain of malls located throughout India and is a brand of Gurgaon-based retail and property developer , Aerens Gold Souk Group . The Gold Souk Grande Chennai is Arena Group 's first venture in Tamil Nadu .
Vandalur is a census town and residential locality in Southern part of the metropolitan city of Chennai Tamil Nadu . It is a neighbourhood in the southwestern part of Chennai . Vandalur serves as the southern gateway to Chennai city . It has the Arignar Anna Zoological Park , which contain some rare species of wild flora and fauna . The neighbourhood is served by Vandalur railway station of the Chennai Suburban Railway network .
Phoenix Market City ( Chennai ) is a shopping mall developed by Phoenix Mills Limited located in Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India . It was opened in January 2013 and is the largest mall in the city . It was the fourth largest mall in India in 2018 . [ citation needed ]
Velachery is a residential area in southern Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India . The growth of the neighbourhood during the last decade can be cited due to the growth of the IT sector in south Chennai . It acts as an important hub connecting the rapidly growing business-class information technology corridor popularly called the OMR ; the more mature and well-connected GST road and the central business districts of the city , which has more relevance to the history of Chennai . Velachery as a whole draws a perfect balance between old and new Chennai and is a phenomenon in terms of growth and development .
Forum Vijaya Mall is a shopping mall located in Vadapalani , Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India , developed by Prestige Group . This mall is spread over 6,36,000 square feet of retail space . More than 100 shops occupy its four floors . This mall distinguishes itself by being local by housing Chennai-based brands in the mall such as Spar Hypermarket , RmKV , Lifestyle , Max , Marks & Spencer , Westside , Fab India and Via South . It is also home to SPI Cinema 's Palazzo multiplex and an IMAX screen as well .
VR Chennai ( Tamil : வி . ஆர் . சென்னை ) is a shopping mall located on Jawaharlal Nehru Road in Anna Nagar West , Chennai , Tamil Nadu , India . This mall was opened to the public on the 18 June 2018 .
The Inner Ring Road ( IRR ) also known as Jawaharlal Nehru Salai or 100 Feet road or State Highway 2 is a major transportation corridor encircling the city of Chennai . It was developed by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority ( CMDA ) . It is 25.2 km long with three distinct arms viz. , Northern arm , Central arm and Southern arm , connecting SH 49A ( Rajiv Gandhi Salai ) in Tiruvanmiyur , Velachery main road at Vijayanagar , NH 45 ( GST road ) at Kathipara , NH 4 at Koyambedu , NH 205 at Padi , NH 5 at Madhavaram and joins SH 104 ( TPP Road ) at Manali .
Anna Nagar West ( Tamil : அண்ணா நகர் மேற்கு ) is a township in Chennai , India . It is the western part of Anna Nagar and is one of the most socially active locations in Chennai . The area serves as a major transport and residential hub within the city . It is also connected by the contemporary metro rail system . The region contains several schools and hospitals . It is mostly a public service concentrated hub located in a residential area . Millennium Park is the largest park within the region . It has a bus terminus belonging to the Metropolitan Transport Corporation .