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Tag: SM Megamall

  • Travelon will open first standalone store in Philippines

    Travelon will open first standalone store in Philippines

    Chicago-based travel product retailer Travelon has opened its first standalone store in the world – in the Philippines.

    The brand specialises in anti-theft luggage – bags with straps that cannot be cut, slash-proof materials, locking zips and even RFID-blocking technology.

    The brand has been represented in the Philippines by Primer Group since 2011, with the store opening last week at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

    “We felt there was a market here for Travelon products,” said Travelon founder Don Godshaw in an interview. “With traffic here forcing a lot of people to commute to go to their destinations, it is very reassuring to know that your valuables are safe inside secured bags like what we offer.

    “This is apart from the fact that Filipinos, too, love to travel to different places, be it locally or abroad. You see, when thieves steal your things, they are also stealing memories so you really have to guard against that,” Godshaw said.

    The decision to open a standalone store in the Philippines was influenced by having a good local partner. More stores may follow.

    Travelon’s products are sold in about 60 countries, including Singapore, Thailand, and the UK, through department stores and retailers of luggage and travel goods.

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  • Owndays Philippines opens flagship store in Manila

    Owndays Philippines opens flagship store in Manila

    Owndays Philippines has opened its largest optical shop yet, at SM Megamall in Manila.

    With 1500 frames to choose from, the Japanese eyewear retailer can provide prescription glasses in 20 minutes.

    Its 280sqm flagship has a children’s department featuring the Junni brand. With its open module system, it is easier to try on glasses. Its pricing model is simplified, being inclusive of frames, ultra-thin multi-coated lenses and the eye examination. All products come with a warranty and lifetime cleaning and maintenance services.

    Owndays SM Megamall also has three refraction rooms for eye tests (there are usually two), and as well as the spacious shopping area offers a lounge. At the shop’s centre is the space where spectacles are assembled.

    Owndays has 21 outlets in the Philippines, with six scheduled to open soon.

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  • SM Prime Holdings’ net profit rises 14 per cent

    SM Prime Holdings’ net profit rises 14 per cent

    Continuing mall expansion helped drive a 14 per cent rise in SM Prime Holdings’ net profit last year.

    In a stock exchange filing yesterday, the company said it achieved a net income of P23.8 billion (US$473.7 million) last year. Strong sales by its residential arm, which accounts for 32 per cent of its business, also contributed to the healthy profit rise.

    SM Prime has 60 shopping malls in the Philippines, with 7.7 million sqm of gross floor area and seven in China, with 1.3 million sqm of GFA. The company plans to open at least four more centres in its home market in 2017, adding a further 300,000 sqm of space.

    Total revenue last year rose 12 per cent to P79.8 billion.

    “SM Prime sustained its overall performance in 2016 on the account of focusing more on recurring income stream complemented by the solid performance of the housing group,” said president Jeffrey Lim in a statement.

    “SM Prime is well-positioned to capture the positive impact of the higher infrastructure spending intended by the government that will also spur overall economic growth of the country,” he added.

    Revenues from shopping malls rose by 9 per cent last year to P48.6 billion, driven by the addition of 1.5 million sqm of additional space during the past two years.

    Excluding new openings, sales growth was up 7 per cent, but cinema sales were down 3 per cent.

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  • Two Moto Concept Stores open in Manila

    Two Moto Concept Stores open in Manila

    Lenovo has opened two Moto Concept Stores for its mobile phone brand in Metro Manila as part of its Philippine “full-throttle” expansion.

    Both run by smartphone retailer MemoXpress, the stores are in the Cyberzone areas of SM North Edsa Annex and SM Megamall.

    “The Philippines is a very important market for Moto,” says Lenovo Mobile Business Group Philippines country manager Dino Romano.

    Lenovo says it aims to become the No. 3 player in the global smartphone market through expanding its Moto line across emerging markets, including the Philippines. Currently the fastest-growing smartphone market in the region, the Philippines had 3.5 million smartphone shipments in the first quarter of last year, according to the latest report of the International Data Corporation (IDC).

    Both Moto Concept Stores carry the latest Moto smartphones.

  • Bata Philippines opens at SM Megamall

    Bata Philippines opens at SM Megamall

    Partnering with the SM Group, Bata Philippines has opened its first store at SM Megamall in Manila.

    Bata PH 2

    “We never hesitated,” says Thomas Archer Bata, who attended the launch, referring to the brand’s linking up with the Sy family, which grew a shoe outlet into supermarket development conglomerate SM Group. “Also, we have had a friendship with the SM Group and the Sy family for some time.”

    Bata Shoe Co originated in Zlin, in what is now the Czech Republic, in 1894. It was founded by Tomás Bat’a, whose grandson, Thomas George, is on the management board along with his sisters Christine, Monica and Rosemarie. Thomas Archer, the chief marketing officer, is a fourth-generation cousin.

    Bata 1

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    Bata has 5000 retail outlets in 70 countries, with a strong presence in India and a factory in Thailand since the 1970s. The company would have entered the Philippines earlier, but there were legal complications related to its trademark, says Thomas Bata. “It took many, many years to resolve. Fortunately, with the help of SM, we managed to resolve it.”

    He says the brand is going to “tread cautiously” in the Philippines with plans to open between eight and 15 stores in SM malls in Metro Manila.

    He says the company follows a “responsible capitalism moral testament” formulated by its founder: it should not be treated as a source of private wealth but, rather, as a public trust, a means of improving living standards within the community and providing customers with good value for their money.

    “We are very environment-friendly. Our factories are audited on a yearly basis for their sustainability,” says Bata. “Our founder more than 100 years ago believed in sustainability, in producing as little waste as possible, and that is still the case. We always use environment-friendly materials and suppliers.”

    Meanwhile, Bata says the company is talking to potential partners in the Philippines to work on some collaborative projects, and is planning with SM how to roll out a rural education program for young girls.

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  • SM Prime Holdings opens 60th mall

    SM Prime Holdings opens 60th mall

    An 80,000 sqm mall has been opened in eastern Metro Manila by Southeast Asian integrated property company SM Prime Holdings.

    As its 60th mall in the Philippines, SM City East Ortigas reinforces its commitment to continue expanding there given the economy’s strong performance, says SM Prime president Jeffrey C Lim.

    SM Prime’s malls in eastern Metro Manila include SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, SM Marikina and SM Center Pasig. It also has SM Angono, SM Masinag, SM San Mateo and SM Taytay in Rizal Province.

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    SM City East Ortigas has opened with almost 80 per cent of its space leased out. The two-level mall houses SM’s flagship retail brands The SM Store and SM Supermarket, plus its specialty stores such as Ace Hardware, SM Appliance Center, Uniqlo and Watsons. It will also have a Cyberzone, wellness tenants, four digital cinemas and four Director’s Club cinemas, as well as dining destinations. There are 650 parking slots.

    SM Prime opened SM Cherry Congressional a year ago in Quezon City, as well as SM City San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan in April and SM City Trece Martires in Cavite in May.

    Of its 60 malls in the Philippines, 22 are in Metro Manila, 29 in Luzon, five in the Visayas and four in Mindanao. SM Prime also has six malls in China. SM Prime is also involved in residential development, leisure properties and hotels.

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  • Makansutra brings Singapore street hawker food to Manila

    Makansutra brings Singapore street hawker food to Manila

    Singapore food culture company Makansutra has created what it describes as one of the most modern but retro looking heritage food halls in Manila.

    Founded in 1997 by entrepreneur-photojournalist, KF Seetoh Makansutra aims to celebrate and promote food culture through food guides, online content, eateries, specialised events, projects and TV shows. Now it has brought 11 stalls and a refreshment and snack station to a 14,000 sqft prime retail space in the SM Megamall.

    “It has been a year coming, fraught with complex building issues, ingredients sourcing problems, lack of proper local equipments and expertise… among others,” explained Seetoh. “But Makansutra Hawkers has now launched in Manila.”

    Five famous hawkers and street food restaurants from Singapore and Malaysia made their international debut there: Geylang Claypot Rice, Alhambra Padang Satay, HK Street Old Chun Kee, Jin Ji Braised Duck and Kway Chap and the iconic Donald and Lily from Malacca. All, except for Geylang Claypot Rice which is a stall requested by show host Anthony Bourdain for his Bourdain Market in New York, were featured at the recent World Street Food Congress held in Manila.

    Makansutra

    The other stalls were new hawkers licensed under Makansutra and trained by the hawkers in the team. There’s Mian Ji (fried Hokkien prawn mee and soup version), Baoji Xiang (Chicken rice and paper wrapped chicken), Ah Tee (oyster omelette and carrot cake), Adam’s Ribs ( bak kut teh), and Curry Flurry (roti prata, fish head curry and nasi briyani).

    “The hawker centre’s design is a throwback to the era when street food was de rigueur and was like a treat, back in the 1960s and 1970s. We used corrugated zinc sheets for a ceiling and plain polished concrete floor with graffiti on the walls, construction beams smack in the middle of the eatery and the furniture don’t match,” explained Seetoh.

    Makansutra Hawkers is located on the second floor of SM Megamall Building A in Mandaluyong City. It is open from 10am to 10pm.

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  • Third Manila NBA Store opens

    Third Manila NBA Store opens

    The National Basketball Association (NBA) has opened the third Manila NBA Store.

    “[The new branch] has the most complete assortment of [NBA] products and merchandise in the Philippines,” said NBA Philippines MD Carlo Singson during a press conference.

    NBA store Philippines, Quezon cityThe International Athletic Trading Company (AITC) is managing the new branch in Trinoma Mall, Quezon City (right picture). It also oversees the NBA’s flagship store in Glorietta 3 in Makati City, and its second store in Mega Fashion Hall at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City.

    IATC president and CEO Melvin Lloyd Lim said he is bullish about their new Quezon City presence, observing that the North Edsa area is “always packed with people” due to the presence of two (soon to be three) large commercial malls.

    “Based on my experience with retailing, this mall is one of the most successful Ayala malls,” Lim pointed out.

    All 30 NBA teams are represented in the merchandise at the NBA Store’s 280 sqm space including official jerseys, footwear, performance gear, lifestyle apparel, basketballs and collectibles.

    The stores feature assorted NBA products and other brands such as Adidas, Nike, Under Armour, New Era, Panini, Spalding, Stance and 2K Sports.

    In October 2015, the flagship NBA Store in the Philippines received the 2015 Asia Sports Industry Gold Award for the “Best Sports Retail Campaign” in recognition of its industry leading standards.

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  • L&L Hawaiian Barbecue opens in Manila

    L&L Hawaiian Barbecue opens in Manila

    L&L Hawaiian Barbecue has opened its first store in the Philippines, with a second one planned by November.

    The ‘plate lunch’ QSR brand made its debut quietly last month in a shopping mall at Edsa which will be followed by a second outlet in SM Megamall in Manila.

    “I think that the people there really enjoy our taste in food,” L&L Hawaiian Barbecue VP and COO Bryan Andaya told Pacific Business News. “Here, in the US, our third biggest demographic is Filipinos.”

    L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, also known as L&L or as L&L Drive-Inn in Hawaii, is a franchised restaurant chain based in Honolulu, Hawaii, centered on the traditional Hawaiian ‘plate lunch’.

    The concept expanded onto the US mainland in 1999 and there are now more than 200 locations across the US, Tokyo and Auckland, New Zealand.

    The brand has been credited with popularising the plate lunch in Hawaii, primarily through its drive-throughs.

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