Major retailers, mall operators to join Philippine Shopping Festival

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s 13 major mall operators are joining forces with the Philippine Retail Association (PRA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) to ensure the successful staging of the Philippine Shopping Festival from Oct. 23 to Nov. 8.

PRA president Lorenzo C. Formoso, COO of Duty Free Philippines, said major retail hubs all over the country would offer big discounts and undertake various promotional events to make the two-week shopping extravaganza a phenomenon the world would notice.

“While market forces will still determine who gets to score the highest sales, it is worth noting the competing malls and shopping centers in the country are moving in one direction to make this a highly successful endeavor,” Formoso said.

Participating in the two-week festival are Duty Free Philippines, Ayala Malls, Araneta Center, Inc., Shangri-la Plaza Corp., Starmall, Robinson Malls, SM Supermalls, Riverbanks Center, Festival Supermall, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, Ortigas & Co., Greenfield Development Corp. and Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall.

“It will be a grand sale in the entire country as the major retailers and mall operators join forces in a bid to promote the country as the new Asia-Pacific region’s shopping Mecca,” Formoso said.

The PRA and DOT thought of organizing the unity shopping festival to take advantage of the staging of two big global events the Philippines is hosting this year –  the Asia-Pacific Retailers Convention and Exhibition (APRCE) and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Summit that is preceded by a long series of high-level technical committee and ministerial meetings.

PRA chair and APRCE overall chairman Frederick D. Go, president of Robinsons Recreation Corp., said the Philippine Shopping Festival 2015 is a noble endeavor they hope to convert into an annual retail spectacle the world would anticipate each year.

“Featuring two weeks of great retail bargains and other promotional activities nationwide, the Philippine Shopping Festival will not only benefit the retail and tourism industry, but also contribute to other industries like hotels, transportation and etc., which in turn will boost the country’s economy,” Go added.

The APEC Leaders Summit will be in the first week of November, but its various senior officials and ministerial meetings started back in December last year and are currently in progress. The APRCE, on the other hand, is slated from Oct. 28 to 30 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.