DLF is putting fresh muscle behind its shopping mall business, and the numbers tell the story. Real estate company DLF will open new shopping malls across Delhi and Gurugram, along with its upcoming Goa mall, in the 2026 financial year, adding close to 14 lakh square feet to its retail portfolio as the business foresees continued organised retail growth in India. Speaking to PTI, Pushpa Bector, Senior Executive Director and Business Head at DLF Retail, confirmed the opening of these retail spaces within the current fiscal, saying "DLF is set to open three retail properties during this financial year," with each one strategically positioned to enhance the retail landscape.
The first of these has already thrown open its doors. DLF Malls has opened Midtown Plaza in Moti Nagar, West Delhi, a multi-level retail development spanning approximately 2,80,000 sq ft of gross leasable area across nearly 2 acres of land, comprising two basement levels, a plaza floor, ground level, and four upper floors. Confirmed tenants include Crossword Bookstores, Nykaa Luxe, Kama Ayurveda, GKB Opticals, Third Wave Coffee, Amama Jewels, The Body Shop India, and Faber, along with café brands like Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, Chaayos, and Dohful. The plaza sits within walking distance of Capital Greens I, II, and III and ONE Midtown, with these residential developments together housing more than 3,500 families that form its primary catchment.
Next up is Gurugram. DLF has leased space for a plaza in Gurugram's Sector 54 as part of a larger retail destination, with its sights also set on New Delhi's Moti Nagar for a similar concept. Bector describes the upcoming Gurugram property in clear terms: "It is a premium neighbourhood plaza that will cater to the every day needs of the premium residents living in the area," with plans for "premium cafes, F&B, gifting and curated fashion along with an experiential cinema and an upscale wellness zone." DLF Summit Plaza in Gurugram is set to cover about 4.8 lakh square feet, with over 4 lakh square feet dedicated to retail, while the remaining area will be reserved for coworking spaces. The Gurugram 'DLF Summit Plaza' will open as part of the DLF Phase 5 real estate development, which includes premium apartment communities.
The headline project, though, is in Goa. DLF will open a 7 lakh square foot mall in Goa early next year, which will be the largest mall in the region. Bector calls it a milestone for the coastal state: early next year, Goa will welcome its largest shopping mall yet — a 7 lakh sq ft retail hub, also from DLF — with Bector noting, "This is going to be a landmark project for Goa." The Goa mall will introduce premium retail offerings to a growing and affluent consumer base, tapping into unmet demand.
This isn't a one-off flurry of launches — it's part of a much bigger annuity strategy. Currently, DLF operates a portfolio of eight retail properties, including a major shopping mall in Noida, totalling around 45 lakh square feet of retail space, and is also working on an ambitious 25 lakh square feet retail complex in Gurugram, with the bulk of DLF's commercial assets managed by DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd (DCCDL), a joint venture with Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, GIC.
What's driving this confidence? Consumer spending is back with a bang. Bector notes that the organised retail sector has seen a significant resurgence post-COVID, with increased footfalls and higher sales in shopping malls, and "the F&B segment is particularly thriving, occupying around 20-22 percent of our retail space." That shift toward dining, cafés and experiential formats explains why new malls now build in cinemas, wellness centres and co-working alongside conventional retail rather than just apparel and electronics stores.
For homebuyers, this expansion is more than a retail story — it's a lifestyle upgrade for existing and upcoming DLF residential clusters. With Midtown Plaza operational alongside existing commercial developments, DLF states the Midtown cluster has become a fully integrated neighbourhood, reflecting an urban planning approach where residential and retail ecosystems are co-located, offering cafés, bookstores, lifestyle retail, and services within walkable distance of residents. The Gurugram and Goa malls are designed on the same principle — placing daily-needs and lifestyle retail a short walk or drive from DLF homes, which typically supports property values and everyday convenience for residents in these micro-markets.
Taken together, these launches signal that DLF sees organised retail as a long-term annuity business, not a side project. With Moti Nagar already live, Sector 54's Summit Plaza on the way, and Goa's biggest mall slated to open early next year, the company is betting that India's shoppers — and its own residential catchments — are ready for more premium, integrated retail destinations.
