Khoobsurat - Christmas Celebration, Ponk Party & New Year gala from 21 December 2013 to 5 January 2014

Events in Surat - Khoobsurat - Christmas Celebration, Ponk Party & New Year gala from 21 December 2013 to 5 January 2014.

15-DAY LONG ‘VR KHOOBSURAT’ FESTIVAL IN CITY STARTS DECEMBER 21 2013

Non-stop fun @VR Surat during Christmas (December 21 to 25), Ponk Fest (December 26 to 31) and New Year (December 26-January 5)

December 20, 2013 – This New Year’s Eve, the City of Surat, which has a vibrant history of unique celebrations, gets its very own festival. VR Surat, Gujarat’s only world-class community centric lifestyle destination, has announced a 15-day long festival ‘KhoobSurat 2013-14’ from December 21, 2013 to January 5, 2014. The flagship Center of Virtuous Retail, India’s first and largest institutionally owned developer-operator of lifestyle shopping centers, has lined up non-stop celebrations during Christmas (December 21-25), Ponk Fest (December 26-31) and New Year (December 26 to January 5).

Special workshops for all members of the family have been organized at the Food Box and other venues at the center (see below for reference). These include: Glitter Art Workshop for Children (December 21); Christmas Ornament Making Workshop for Children (December 22); Makeover for Ladies Workshop (December 23); Make Your Bling Accessories Workshop for Women (December 24); Nail Art Workshop for Women (December 25); Food Presentation (December 29) and Know Your Crystals (January 5).

Workshops & Venues (Timings 4pm to 9pm)

1) December 21: Glitter Art at Food Box
2) December 22: Christmas Ornament Making for Children at The Arc
3) December 23: Makeover for Ladies near Tommy Hilfiger Kids
4) December 24: Make your Bling near Zara Level 1
5) December 25: Nail Art Near Westside
6) December 29: Food Presentation at Food Box
7) January 5 : Know your Crystals near Tommy Hilfiger Kids

Commenting on this exciting occasion, Paresh Mishra, Director Operations, Virtuous Retail says, “With over 2 million visitors since May 2013, VR Surat brings to the city, in our usual style a new wave of excitement and an all new avatar of celebrating together. Inspired by the energy and spirit of melas, KhoobSurat festival aims to tie back our brand cornerstones of tourism, community, retail and lifestyle. ‘Hum Hain KhoobSurat’ evokes a sentiment of togetherness and creates the bond of belonging. It speaks to all of Surat and urges the people to be part of the excitement and celebrate the essence of the city.” He added, “Khoobsurat will map its course with Christmas, Ponk Party and New Year as the main pillars of revelry.”

Starting December 21, visitors to VR Surat will be greeted by Santa Claus with his elves. Kids will be allowed to click snaps and take back good memories of the festival. Visitors will be welcomed with Reindeer installations at Dumas Square; trellis, arches and wreaths at the entrances; and the City’s biggest Christmas Tree installation at The Runway. A singing choir for Christmas Carols has been organized on December 24.

During the Ponk Fest, Ponk preparations will be sold on the stalls placed in the Center to celebrate the flavors of the Ponk harvest. Stalls will be decorated with buntings and the Ponk seller will be dressed traditionally to add to the festive mood. To add into the festival there would be customer interactions which will include Ponk Cooking contest and live demos of Ponk preparations.

New Year specials include strolling characters such as ‘Mad Hatter’, ‘Musketeer’ and ‘Pirates’, who will interact and entertain visitors to VR Surat from January 1 to 5, 2014.

Virtuous Retail has transformed the retail and cultural landscape of Surat by providing a unique shopping experience within VR Surat through art, culture and community engagement initiatives. Breaking the stereotype of a Tier 2 city, the emergent Surat metropolitan region with a population of ~ 6 million, has acknowledged the arrival of VR Surat with enthusiasm.

Packed with unique outdoor and indoor experiences, VR Surat is anchored by Zara, Marks & Spencer, Shoppers Stop, Westside and INOX, and will open in 3 phases. VR Surat’s Phase I and Phase II opening saw the launch of over 100 brands, many of which have debuted in Surat and Gujarat. Phase 3 will witness the arrival of several new premium and luxury brands across jewelry, home décor & furnishings, food & grocery, fashion, footwear & accessories as well as sports goods.

For more information, please visit www.vrsurat.comor www.facebook.com/vrsurat.

About VR Surat

VR Surat is the first retail lifestyle destination developed by Virtuous Retail, India's largest institutionally-owned developer-operator of lifestyle shopping centres. Established in 2007, Virtuous Retail's mission is to develop experiential shopping centres that become a social hub, a tourist and a cultural destination while curating an exciting mix of retail, art, entertainment and

community initiatives. Packed with unique outdoor and indoor experiences, VR Surat is home to over 100 brands, introducing world-class stores such as Shoppers Stop, Zara, Westside, Marks & Spencer, MAC thus enhancing the city's retail offering. Combining state-of-the art experiences with local cultural tastes, VR Surat is a flagship amongst a series of retail developments by Virtuous Retail, launching in India's top 9 urban markets including Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune, and Kolkata. List of brands that have debuted in Gujarat courtesy Virtuous Retail: Zara, Marks &Spencer, Gourmet West, Freecultr, Faces, Omega, Louis Philippe, Laven, SVM Blowing & Gaming, Voi Jeans, Kraus Jeans, Kailash Parbat, The Fruit Tree, Noodle Town and Panchavati Gaurav.

Brands Debuting in Surat: Inox, MAC, Shoppers Stop, Tommy Hilfiger, CAT, Swarovski, Ethos, Parcos, Hidesign, Nautica, Zodiac, Being Human, Forest Essentials, Izod, Colorbar, Deal Jeans, Sunglass Hut, Sisley, Foresight Optical, Bagzone, Clinique, Clarks, U.S. Polo, Helios, Arrow, Gant, Midday Munchies, Flying Machine, O2 Spa, Kedyo, 22nd Parallel, Cex, Calvin Klein Jeans, Monte Carlo, Mothercare, Dosa Plaza and Ayesha.

Brand Extensions: Westside, United Colors of Benetton, Levi's, Only, Vero Moda, Bata, Adidas, Jack n Jones, Van Heusen, Woodland, Spykar, Wrangler, Mufti, Pepe Jeans, Lee, Allen Solly, Puma, 109 F, AND, Fab India, NOSH, Global Desi, Jade Blue, Sub Station, Jashn, Gini n Jony, Biba, Café Dezire, McDonald's, The Chocolate Room, Coffee Culture, Crossword, Subway, Keeda, Delsey and Mexican Rodeo.

About Virtuous Retail

Established in 2007, Virtuous Retail (VR) is an institutionally owned developer-operator of community oriented premium lifestyle shopping centres in India's top cities. Virtuous Retail's pan-India portfolio includes prime city centre locations in Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Surat and Kolkata, making it the leading platform of quality real estate retail in one of the world's most attractive consumer markets for organized retail.

Virtuous Retail combines global expertise and local knowledge to create high performance retail environments with strong urban connections. The company's long term vision is to create new social hubs for the urban Indian consumer. It does this through "Connecting Communities™" - a platform for cultural festivals, public-private partnerships and cross-border collaborations that encourage civic pride, strengthen the local economy and enhance the city's brand image. Virtuous Retail is sponsored by The Xander Group Inc., a leading emerging markets investment firm, which has committed US$ 600 MM in equity to the platform.