If you are visiting a mall in Saket or Vasant Kunj on a weekend, you will have to give yourself at least 15 minutes if not more to find yourself a spot to park and find a way through the hoards of shoppers to get to your destination. Tickets for movies are usually sold out and restaurants take a while to get you seated. Despite the inconvenience, footfalls have continued to increase.
Malls have changed the way we shop and the air-conditioned, dust and noise-free environment has helped them lure shoppers from the more traditional markets in the city.
However, places like Connaught Place, South Extension, Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar are still holding their own despite the competition. But the large, swanky malls have managed to topple one of the earliest malls in the city -- Ansal Plaza at Khel Gaon.
A decade ago Ansal Plaza used to be buzzing with activity. The amphitheatre in the centre would host musical evenings and a number of youth oriented programmes every week. Kids used to enjoy taking rides on battery operated cars and the corridors were always chock-a-block with shoppers.
A visit to the complex on Monday was a completely different experience altogether. The parking lot was empty and only a handful of shops are still open. The familiar buzz was missing. It was almost like a ghost town with mostly people who work there loitering around. Unmanned kiosks, coffee shops with employees taking a nap in a corner and visibly bored shopkeepers greet you.
Ravi, who works at a clothes store, is the sole salesman in the shop. He says there used to be 4-5 people manning the store but it is now just him and the owner as there is not much to do.
A couple who was visiting after a long gap said that they used be regulars at Geoffrey's Pub when they were newly married and they were shocked to see how so may shops had shut down.
“It is definitely not the location that is the problem as it is still a prime area. Shahpur Jat just a kilometre away with absolutely no infrastructure is managing to attract people and establish itself with trendy boutiques,” says Raghav, a property consultant.
Speaking to other shop owners you come across the same complaint that people have stopped visiting. Most of them seem to think that the mall lost out as it does not have a food court or a multiplex which is a big draw at the new malls.
What is surprising is that the infrastructure is still well maintained with clean surroundings, toilets, functioning escalators, elevators and even fountains.
That leaves one wondering: will Ansal Plaza regain its past glory?
