Will be 3x bigger than SM Aura: SM Prime moves opening of Seaside City to 2015

CEBU, Philippines - If everything goes well as planned, Cebu will already be home to three SM supermalls by 2015 with company officials determined to open in that year what would be the world's fourth biggest shopping mall SM Seaside City Cebu.

SM Seaside, which broke grounds last April 12, 2011 in its 469,000-square meter location at the South Road Properties (SRP), has been appropriated a total budget of P14 billion and is expected to house over 2,000 food and retail outlets from both local and international brands.

This is the second time that the original budget for SM Seaside is reported to have been adjusted.         

Three months back, SM Prime Holdings President Hans Sy in an interview said that the company had made adjustments to its destination mall project at SRP by increasing budget allocation to P8.5 billion from the original P6 billion.

Earlier reports also cited SM Seaside to open in the second quarter of 2014, but Sy in a recent interview with the Cebu press explained that the construction will take a bit longer since the mall is three times bigger in size as the new SM Aura Premier, thus they are currently hitting a new target which is 2015.

Last Thursday, Sy led the opening of SM Aura, the newest addition to SM chain of shopping malls in the Philippines which has been described by officials as “redefining the retail and lifestyle scene” in the country with its high-end lifestyle destination theme.

Sy said that just like SM Aura, SM Seaside is also going to introduce some tenants from international brands that will open their outlets in Cebu for the first time.

He also emphasized SM’s current efforts to upscale their new locations in an attempt to better cater to their intended market.

SM Aura is an example of an up-scaled mall which according to him provides customers with an upgraded look and feel in a way that does not make them “intimidated”.

Sy said SM Aura’s opening will provide Cebuanos with a preview on what direction SM Seaside is leading. He revealed that they invested around P5.7 billion for SM Aura which is located at Corner McKinley Parkway in Taguig City.

The newly-opened mall is said to be a mall of firsts, with many global brands having their first store in the Philippines at SM Aura. Among these are Suiteblanco, Stefanel, BB Dakota, J Lindberg for fashion, as well as Paul Boulagerie, NBA Cafe and Todd English Food Hall for dining.

Likewise, the mall will showcase the first of next generation SM Stores, SM Supermarket, Kultura Filipino, Watsons, Our Home and Toy Kingdom, among others.

Other attractions include The Sky Park, with its al fresco dining amidst landscaped garden and water features; the Samsung Hall, an events place with unique dome design set against a lush garden; and the Chapel of San Pedro Calungsod.

SMX Aura is a place for exhibits and corporate meetings, while a nearby Office Tower addresses the needs of the international market, as well as the growing demands of the call center industry in the Philippines.

In a press release, the management said its commitment to sustainable design and development, and green architecture to reduce the structure’s carbon footprint make SM Aura distinct from any other shopping center. 

“The SM Engineering Design and Development team enhanced it with sustainable operation: pollution and waste management systems are planned for maximum efficiency and a water treatment facility to recycle water for non-potable use is in place,” the company said in a statement to the press. (FREEMAN)