Mall of Asia draws 1M goers on first day
By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes
Reporter

AROUND 1 million people trooped to the country’s largest shopping mall, Mall of Asia, during its opening last Sunday.
       The P6.5-billion shopping center is the 25th mall owned and operated by tycoon Henry Sy Sr., through subsidiary SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPH).
Mall of Asia operations manager Steven Tan said pedestrian traffic during opening day was bigger than the average weekend traffic of SM Megamall in Mandaluyong and SM North Edsa in Quezon City combined.
       “First day sales were also brisk not just for the mall’s main anchors, the SM Department Store and the SM Hypermarket but also for the other tenants. The turnover was fast for most of the restaurants and other dining establishments. Some of the restaurants recorded their highest sales ever on that day,” Tan said. He declined to give though the figures.
       The mall, which seats on the 60-hectare SM Central Business Park in Pasay City, features 600 shops and 150 indoor and all fresco dining outlets. It also houses the country’s first IMAX theater.
       IMAX theaters use the large-format movie house display that allows vivid images up to eight stories high, and wrap-around digital surround sound.
       Meanwhile, SMPH earlier disclosed plans of renovating SM City North Edsa and hopes to complete it by 2008. North Edsa was the first mall opened by the Sys in 1985.
       The company is also set to open next month the SM City Clark, Pampanga; the SM Supercenter Frontera Verde on C-5 in Pasig City; and the SM City Lipa, Batangas.
       It has plans to open a Supermall in the Visayas, in particular, Bacolod City in Negros Occidental.
       In the pipeline is an allocated 118.7 hectares for development in 14 locations, including Marikina, Paranaque, Muntinlupa, Bulacan, Tarlac, Laguna and Pangasinan.