Modern Bazaar - Rising From the Ashes

The story of how Delhi NCR-based popular supermarket chain Modern Bazaar reinvented itself after being gutted in a fire

In Delhi NCR, Modern Bazaar is popular for its shopping experience and the range of gourmet products, a live bakery, fresh foods counter and a café. Founded by the late Vishwant Kumar, it was among the pioneers of organised supermarkets in the country when it first opened in 1971.

In 2004, the lone store in New Delhi's Vasant Kunj neighborhood was gutted in a devastating fire.

The next year, in 2005, his son Kunaal Kumar, took over the family business with the aim of not just reviving the business, but also growing it.

B.Tech graduate Kunaal Kumar picked a tony location for his comeback innings. That year, Modern Bazaar opened its first store in South Delhi's Basant Lok market - an upscale and popular market in pre-and early 2000s that was home to the first PVR cinema.

"The initial few years were spent learning the nuances of the retail trade from my father, who was a hard taskmaster and ensured that I did not have it easy at work being his son," said Kumar, in an exclusive interaction with IMAGES Retail earlier this year.

He helped his father build the store till it was firmly established in South Delhi as a place to go for the requirement of imported food products as well as local food and grocery items.