2 Giant Malls to Open in Cebu

Before the year 2015 will end, this Queen City of the Philippines will have at least two new gigantic one-stop shopping and dining destinations.

On Friday November 27 SM Prime Holdings will open the SM Seaside City Cebu located at this city’s South Road Properties. It is their largest mall in the Philippines dwarfing the SM Mall of Asia and SM Mega Mall. It is also regarded as the 4th largest mall in the world.

The SM Seaside City Cebu has a giant cube located in front of their main entrance. The cube symbolize the durability and strength in tribute for the Cebuano’s’ traits and resilience.

The mall is a 5-story circle-shaped shopping and retail haven including its basement and multiple anchors. It is comprised of a 2-story Department Store, at least five Theatre Cineplex and Imax Theatre, several retail stalls, food court flanking an ice skating rink, and an 18-lane SM Bowling and Amusement Center, among others.

Designed by American-based company Arquitectonica, the mall is the third SM Mall in Cebu after SM City Cebu in Barangay Mabolo this city and SM Consolacion.

In the meantime, the Robinsons Land Corporation’s (RLC) 38th and biggest mall outside Metro Manila dubbed as Robinsons Galleria Cebu located in the North Reclamation Area of this city is set to open on Thursday December 10 this year.

During its groundbreaking ceremony in July 2012, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama who graced the event underscored, “Robinsons Galleria is like a beautiful flower added to the beautiful garden – the City of Cebu,” adding that when he entered government in 1992 he promised to do something to help improve the condition of the city’s North Reclamation Area.

He added that the P100M allocation for the road concreting and asphalting project in this particular area made those promises a reality. What was once a neglected area which will become muddy especially during rainy days has been revitalized to its better condition and appearance.

In an interviewed with the BARUGG News and asked about why they will put up their biggest mall in Cebu considering the saturation of malls in the city, RLC President Frederick Go said that they are confident in ramping up such investment in Cebu City because they believe in its robust economic growth, a vibrant retail industry and a booming tourism sector.

Robinsons Galleria Cebu will be the third RLC Mall in the city after the Robinsons Fuente and Robinsons Cybergate. The Php5 Billion edifice will be a mixed-use development which include the first Cebu branch of gohotel.ph as well as office spaces for business process outsourcing firms.

The 7-storey commercial building will rise on a 4.6 hectares lot along General Maxilom Avenue and will have a gross floor area of about 156,000 square meters (SQM). The hotel will have 153 rooms, the BPO offices will occupy three floors with over 9,000sqm of leasable space, while the mall will have a gross leasable area of 56,000sqm spread on four levels.

Meanwhile, concerned offices are still working to have routes of public utility vehicles to serve in the areas of the two giant malls including the SM’s MyBus in its proposed High Quality Public Transportation System or HQPTS.

Furthermore, special giveaways and freebies are up for grab for the first few customers during the opening day of the two giant malls. (Cebu City Public Information Office PIO/Greggy Jiggs P. Senados)