Limchua-owned mall targets low and mid-income earners

CEBU, Philippines - The rising population of middle and low-income consumers has made Talisay City, Cebu viable for retailers who are targeting the everyday shoppers.

Grace Labunog, operations manager of South Town Centre, a new mall development in the city, said people who belong to the middle and low classes are the potential market in Cebu’s second class city.

“Ang amo pud nga nakita kasagaran sa mga tawo dinhi kay price conscious, so that’s an established image sa Talisay consumers,” Labunog told The FREEMAN at the sidelines of the mall’s opening yesterday.

She said with the gradual increase in commercial developments in the locality, barangay residents now have more options in terms of their consumption.

For instance, STC, the first retail real estate project of Limchua Development Corporation, houses 73 shops including Robinsons Supermarket; 51 are already occupied. The Limchua family also owns Popular Feedmill Corporation.

New businesses in the area are also generating employment for the locals and are helping economic growth.

Transition

An earlier report here said the city government needs time to study the plan to convert Talisay into a highly urbanized city from currently being a component city of Cebu province.

Section 453 of the 1991 Local Government Code says a component city should have a population of P200, 000 and an income of P50 million for it to be declared as highly urbanized city. While Talisay is said to have met these requirements, the city government said it may not be ready yet for the change.

But the rising mall projects in the place are contributing to its transition of becoming a first class city.

In an earlier interview, Philippine Retailers Association-Cebu president Robert Go said the presence of shopping centers is bringing a lot of growth not only to the retail sector but also to the local economy in general.

While specialty stores, convenience and discount stores and supermarket operators have brought tough competition, they have also made the retailing business more diverse.

“A number of stores are being put up and a lot of players are coming in. There’s a lot of growth – and that’s true to retailing,” Go noted. (FREEMAN)