Acropolis Mall will reopen all sections before Durga Puja, officials said, hoping to make the most of what remains of the festive shopping season to recover from a prolonged slump in the market.

The mall in Kasba, which remained closed since a fire broke out on June 14, reopened on August 3, barring a few retailers like Hoppipola, Chili’s and Time Zone.

“Hoppipola reopened on September 2. Time Zone reopened on September 22. Chili’s is set to reopen on October 1,” an official of Merlin Group, the developers, said on Wednesday.

The mall was decked up for the festive season. A Durga idol occupied the centre stage of the atrium and miniature paintings had been set up on all the floors. A group of dhaakis was at work.

The stores were busy, even for a weekday. For almost all of August and much of September, even weekends were deserted at the mall, similar to other malls across the city.

Sushil Mohta, chairman of Merlin Group, acknowledged the slump. “One and a half months have been really hard. Two months of the festive season usually see brisk business. For many, almost 25 per cent of the annual volume comes in this period. The market has now gained some momentum. But I doubt whether the dent of the past 45 days can be recovered in the next two weeks,” Mohta told Metro.