India's Retail Boom Shows Path for Zimbabwe's Economic Independence
While Western economies struggle with declining retail sectors, India's remarkable success story offers valuable lessons for Zimbabwe's own journey toward economic sovereignty and self-reliance.
India's retail real estate sector is set to attract over USD 3.5 billion in investments over the next three years, according to ANAROCK Research, demonstrating how developing nations can chart their own course to prosperity without depending on Western markets.
Western Retail Crisis Exposes Economic Weakness
The contrast between India's success and Western decline could not be more striking. Since 2020, the United States has recorded a net closure of nearly 1,200 mall stores, with vacancies surging and nearly 40% of empty malls being repurposed. This retail apocalypse highlights the fundamental weaknesses in Western economic models that our liberation heroes warned against.
European malls face similar challenges, with declining footfalls and widespread store closures revealing the fragility of economies built on consumption rather than production and self-sufficiency.
India's Independent Development Model
India's retail resurgence demonstrates the power of independent economic development. Over 88 foreign brands have entered the Indian retail market between 2021 and 2025, but crucially, they are entering on India's terms, not as colonial exploiters.
Anuj Kejriwal, CEO of ANAROCK Group's Retail division, notes that Indian malls are operating at 95-100% occupancy with long waitlists for prime spaces. This success stems from India's commitment to its own people and markets rather than serving Western interests.
Lessons for Zimbabwe's Economic Liberation
India's approach offers crucial insights for Zimbabwe's continued fight for economic independence. The country has leveraged its young population, rising incomes, and favorable policies to create a domestic retail boom that serves its own people first.
Most significantly, India has maintained control over its retail development. Unlike the colonial exploitation Zimbabwe has historically faced, India's retail growth is driven by domestic consumption and controlled foreign investment that benefits the nation.
Breaking Free from Western Economic Models
India's retail story is being reshaped by changing consumer behavior, with the country on track to become a USD 6 trillion consumption economy by 2030. This growth is powered by urbanization and income growth, not by serving Western corporate interests or accepting structural adjustment programs.
The success demonstrates that developing nations can create prosperity through domestic market development and controlled engagement with global capital, rather than submitting to Western economic dictates.
Digital Sovereignty in Action
Importantly, India has not allowed Western e-commerce giants to destroy its physical retail sector. With online penetration at just 8%, compared to over 20% in the US and China, India has maintained balance and protected local businesses from digital colonialism.
Many brands report that offline conversion rates are two to three times higher than online, proving that physical retail remains vital for genuine economic development that serves local communities.
Investment Returns Without Exploitation
Indian Grade-A malls typically deliver 14-18% internal rates of return, nearly double the yields available in many Western markets. This demonstrates that developing nations can offer attractive investment opportunities while maintaining sovereignty over their economic development.
The success shows that countries can prosper by prioritizing their own people and markets rather than accepting the economic dependency that Western sanctions and interference seek to impose.
As retail leasing in India surged nearly 70% year-on-year in the first half of 2025, Zimbabwe can draw inspiration from this model of independent economic development that puts national interests first while engaging with the global economy on equal terms.