Retail pioneer Chandana Mohan Rao passes away at 82

Chandana Mohan Rao, visionary entrepreneur and founder of CMR Shopping Mall, passed away on Monday. Known for introducing shopping malls and hallmark gold ornaments in Telugu States, his retail ventures and philanthropy impacted thousands, leaving a lasting legacy

Hyderabad: Chandana Mohan Rao, who is credited with introducing the concept of shopping mall for the first time in the Telugu States, passed away on Monday.

Born in 1943 in Rajamahendravaram, East Godavari District, Chandana Mohan Rao started as a small employee, and interested in the business sector since childhood, started his first wholesale textile business in 1972. In 1976, he started Ramachandra Cloth Showroom and later started another business in Rajamahendravaram under the name Chandana Kanchi Sarees.

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He was the first to start a new textile business in Visakhapatnam in 1984 under the name Chandana Brothers and introduced a new system of retail sales at wholesale rates. Chandana Brothers opened its branches in Hyderabad in 1988 and in Vijayawada in 1989. After entering the jewellery sector in 1998, he introduced the first hallmark gold ornaments to the Telugu States.

With the encouragement of his son-in-law, Mavuri Venkataramana, he started CMR Shopping Mall and opened the first mall in Visakhapatnam in 2002. The CMR Group has branches in four states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha and Karnataka, and is flourishing with public respect. Apart from providing employment to thousands of families, he has also started a charitable trust and provided education to poor students.