An artist’s impression of what Axis will look like

A giant shop-watch-munch-play destination will be unveiled in New Town Rajarhat by Puja 2008.

Axis, developed by Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company Limited, will boast the largest diamond mall in town, big brands like Nike and Adidas, a Reliance hypermarket, a six-screen multiplex, a tennis academy by Mahesh Bhupathi, a Mozart gallery, and more.

The Rs 400-crore (approx) project, sprawling over 4.75 acres, is strategically located at the southern end of New Town, a 10-minute drive from the airport. “New Town will be the gateway to Calcutta, hosting a 20-lakh population, and we will cater to all requirements,” says Kumar Sankar Bagchi, managing director of Bengal Peerless Housing Development Company Limited.

The multi-utility infrastructure address will be divided into three blocks. Block A will house the diamond jewellery and lifestyle mall of Mumbai-based Gitanjali Jewellers over three floors and 80,000 sq ft. It will offer a range of 15 different international brands and even Italian luxury silverware by Greggio.

“We see immense potential in Calcutta, which is among our leading markets. We have five major brands of jewellery and more than 20 sub-collections,” says Dharmesh Bothra, COO, jewellery, Gitanjali Group.

Block B, the main retail block, is a six-storeyed building with each floor spread across 62,000 sq ft. The Reliance hypermarket will occupy the first floor and vanilla shops of brands like Nike, Adidas, Pepe, Levi’s, Koutons and Spykar will comprise the second.

“The third floor will have a Mozart Centre as a tribute to the music legend and retail outlets stocking lifestyle products from European markets. The fourth floor will comprise a six-screen FUN Cineplex from the Zee Group and a 25,000-sq-ft food court. IT offices will be on the fifth floor and Mahesh Bhupathi’s tennis academy will be on the rooftop with club facilities,” explains Bagchi.

Block C will be a financial mall.

Basement parking for 750 cars has been planned under Blocks A and B. The design for Axis comes from UK-based Avery brothers, while Hiren Choudhury from Pace Consultants is handling the interior detail work. “The outside surface is marble,” discloses project manager S. Majumder.