Delhi’s first mall ready for second coming

NEW DELHI: Restaurateur Shivang Gupta fondly recalls his school days when Ansal Plaza was referred to as “Lovers’ Point”. One of the early examples of a planned open space in south Delhi, this hang-out zone had introduced him to the mall scene in the capital. Little did he realise that almost two decades later, he would open his own outlet in the same mall.
“I was exploring sites in south Delhi—from Hauz Khaz to Safdarjung Development Area—and then my friend suggested Ansal Plaza as one option.I almost turned it down as the mall had very less footfalls,” Gupta said. He reluctantly agreed to explore the space, and despite all the shortcomings, he finally made up his mind to set up his shop there. Four months later, he has opened one of the large terrace eateries in south Delhi.
After having virtually gone into oblivion, Ansal Plaza, Delhi’s first mall, is undergoing a major renovation. Once the work is over, it will emerge as a major gaming and food destination in the capital with 16 new multi-cuisine restaurants and a huge nightclub. With ample parking space and a convenient location, it promises to make a turnaround when it reopens in less than a month’s time.
Despite many favourable factors, newer malls promising a complete shopping, dining and entertainment options were preferred to it. In fact, Ansal Plaza lacked movie theatres and food courts and had no major retail brands to boast of. Besides, the 2002 shootout in its basement proved a big blow to its reputation, affecting footfalls.
While other malls lease space, Ansal Plaza was the only mall that sold retail space. This meant permanent squatters with no scope or vision of a change. “The Ansals, who developed the mall, owned only 25% of the space while the rest had been sold to others. The biggest retail space here was Shoppers Stop,” said Amit Phull, retail head of the mall.
The management was jolted out of slumber when this retail brand concluded its lease in September last year. That is when a huge area went empty and the owners had no option but to revamp this commercial space. After much brainstorming, it was decided to use the mall’s location, amphitheatre and unique architecture to its advantage. “We were constrained for space and didn’t offer major attractions such as food courts or theatres. But we also had many advantages such as one of its kind amphitheatre and accessible location,” explained Phull.
The mall management then decided to turn the available space into a pure dining and sporting hub. A gaming brand was brought in. The remaining available spaces were given to food and beverage outlets. Restaurateurs were approached but not many were willing to invest initially.
One restaurateur who eventually agreed to open a shop revealed that while the initial offer sounded too good to resist, problems started later. “Ansal Plaza had sold the shops. The original owners then resold them further. Paperwork and establishing a trail of ownership proved a big hassle. Some of the present owners were not willing to experiment with their spaces and merely wanted rental income without tampering with the structure,” he said.
Given the dilapidated state, some investors could bargain for a rent as low as Rs 80-100 per sq ft. To their advantage, the mall also offered an open space adjoining every outlet. The management spruced up their security, started working on landscaping and improved the illumination.
Now, with renovation in progress and most of the outlets to open in a short time, there’s hope that Ansal Plaza will get a new lease of life. “We have seen footfalls as low as 500 while other malls attracted over a lakh people. We expect at least 25,000 people will visit us daily once the mall is ready,” Phull added.