The iconic Super Bazar near Connaught Place — once Delhi’s pride and India’s first superstore — may be on the verge of revival, with the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) initiating the process of hiring a transaction advisor to redevelop it into a modern market complex.
The NDMC has also launched a major redevelopment push for its prime properties in central Delhi, planning to transform commercial areas in Khan Market, Chanakyapuri and Gole Market through public-private partnerships. The move seeks to attract private investment and generate revenue from the prime property in the heart of the national Capital.
Officials said that the civic body has invited bids to appoint transaction advisors for the projects, who will assess the properties, identify their best commercial use, determine their value and prepare the framework for selecting a developer. The advisor will also examine whether the existing structure can be redeveloped without demolition. The proposed redevelopment aims to create modern commercial and retail spaces, improve parking facilities in busy areas and generate a regular source of revenue for the NDMC.
Super Bazar was once among Delhi’s best-known shopping destinations and a popular name in the city’s retail landscape. More than just a building, Super Bazar was once a symbol of
Delhi’s modernising spirit. Inaugurated in 1966, in the shadow of the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the Congress-led central government envisioned it as a bulwark against inflation — a people’s store that would keep prices under check.
Delhi’s iconic Super Bazar eyes a new avatar
It sold everything from subsidised sugar to palm oil, vegetables to HMT watches, stationery to construction material, even transistors, and, when they eventually became available, computers. Located in the heart of Connaught Place, the store attracted customers for decades before financial troubles and declining business affected its operations.
Operated by the NDMC, the six-storey store on the Outer Circle of Connaught Place had become a familiar landmark. But the glory didn’t last. By the mid-1990s, the store began sinking under the weight of poor management, overstaffing, and outdated practices. Its closure in 2002 marked the end of an important chapter in Delhi’s shopping history, although the building has remained a familiar landmark in the area. A 2018 report by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs pinpointed the beginning of its decline to 1996, attributing the downfall to “overstaffing, failure of management, inadequacy of working Capital, and a lack of competitive approach”.
With the arrival of the city’s first mall-Ansal Plaza-in 1999, and the swift embrace of mall culture that followed, Super Bazar slipped from the collective memory of a rapidly globalising capital. For over two decades, the now-decrepit building remained caught in a prolonged arbitration between the government and employee unions over closure and dues payments.
The NDMC initiated the project rollout in July 2025 by issuing a public notice to select technical and financial transaction advisors. The exercise aims to establish a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to guide the redevelopment effort.
Under the NDMC’s proposal, the transaction advisor will complete the initial assessment, valuation, and bidding process in about 33 weeks. The project will assess the property’s commercial potential, estimate its market value, and prepare terms to lease or license it to a successful bidder.
The civic body has estimated the cost of appointing the transaction advisor at `2.25 crore. The bidding process will begin with the submission of proposals, with December 1 set as the deadline. The NDMC will hold a pre-bid meeting at Palika Kendra on November 13. The deadline for seeking clarifications is November 10. The technical bids will be opened on December 1, followed by the evaluation process. The NDMC finalised a comprehensive proposal in January 2026 to present before the council.
According to the documents, one of the biggest projects covers nearly 15 acres around the Khan Market Community Centre, including Lok Nayak Bhawan, Prithviraj Market, NDMC staff quarters, a municipal Barat Ghar and an existing multi-level parking site. The plan envisages developing an integrated commercial and retail complex with up to one lakh square feet of built-up space, while also addressing parking congestion in the area.
In Chanakyapuri, the NDMC plans to redevelop its properties around Akbar Bhawan and Yashwant Place into a commercial hub with around 95,000 square feet of multi-level space. The proposed complex will have retail outlets on the ground floor and office spaces on the upper floors.
The estimated tender costs for appointing transaction advisors are pegged at Rs 3.95 crore for the Khan Market Community Centre project, `3.35 crore for the Akbar Bhawan-Yashwant Place project, and Rs 2.25 crore each for SBS Place and Super Bazar.