By BABE ROMUALDEZ
SM Supermalls celebrated its 30th anniversary by holding the very first “Partners Summit†at the SMX Convention Center at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City, capping the two-day event with a gala night.
(SM Supermalls SVP Steven Tan thanks the loyal partners of SM)
Top businessmen and CEOs from over 50 companies were honored in various categories that ranged from most innovative store design, to best in marketing, to most popular brand (through an online poll) that underscored the strong partnership between the mall developer and its partners.
My friend Hans Sy, who also happens to be SM Holdings president, noted that a lot of things have happened since they opened the first SM Mall in Quezon City three decades ago. The retail landscape has become more global and competitive, with the advent of advanced technology changing the way people live. “Customer tastes have also changed with the times,†he remarked.
A lot of people can still remember the first shopping mall of SM — then known as Shoemart — the SM City North Edsa in Quezon City. It was SM founder and chairman, Henry Sy Sr., who thought of bringing the mall lifestyle into the Philippines when he saw the shopping center development in the US on his trips abroad during the ’50s and ’60s.
(Steven Tan and Hans Sy congratulate Manny Pangilinan)
Over the years, SM has changed the lifestyle of millions of Filipinos, as SM Malls are no longer just places where families and friends can eat out, shop, or watch movies — they are now places where people can transact and do business — and even hear Mass.
Hans told me they will be renovating some of the earlier malls to transform them into truly eco-friendly, green establishments, with climate change taken into consideration for the design concept. Down the line, SM plans to develop four or five malls every year, with the long-term goal of having 100 malls in the Philippines. Definitely, it will not take another 30 years for the country’s top mall developer to do just that.
(With Anton Huang)
(Mikkel Paris and Rene Santos)
(Jose Pardo and Leo Prieto Jr.)
(PLDT chief Manny Pangilinan and SM Investments Corp. vice chairman Tessie Sy-Coson)
(Kenneth Yang and Willie Ocier)
(Roberto Coyiuto and Hans Sy)
(With Tessie Sy-Coson and Jorge Araneta)
(Marilyn Pardo and Stella Marquez Araneta)
(Richie Santos and PLDT’s Eric Alberto)
(Jose Pardo and Felix Ang)
