The gala event at the SMX Convention Center to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of SM Supermalls was such a huge success, with the country’s top entrepreneurs and CEOs joining SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy and SM Investments Corp. vice chairman Tessie Sy-Coson celebrate a milestone in the history of the SM family.
If one could recall, the first SM mall was built along North EDSA in Quezon City — which heralded a whole new lifestyle for Filipinos as it offered them a venue where they could spend quality time together with the shopping, dining and entertainment options available. As remarked by Hans, SM Malls are virtual cities because they are places where families and friends can gather together to eat out, have fun, do business transactions and hear Mass. “We have become a part of the lives of millions of Filipinos,” he said.
At the gala event, loyal partners of SM were given recognition through various award categories such as Most Innovative Store Design, Best in Marketing, Green retail and many others, with a total of 54 companies and locators also getting a share of the spotlight.
According to Hans, there are plans to renovate some of the older malls and turn them into truly eco-friendly establishments. While SM’s logo may be blue, the mall developer/operator also likes “green” as reflected in the design of its malls that take climate change into consideration. In fact, SM City North EDSA is now considered as the world’s biggest solar-powered mall, able to generate up to 1.5-MW of power. SM also recently opened its 55th mall in Sangandaan, the first SM Mall in Caloocan City, and Hans said they are looking at having 100 malls by 2020.
Congratulations to SM, and here’s to the next 30 years! Photos by Ramon Joseph J. Ruiz