SM Supermalls

SM Supermalls, also simply known as SM is a chain of shopping malls owned by Philippines-based SM Prime. It has 82 shopping malls in the Philippines as of November 2022 and has seven malls in China.

SM Supermalls

Product type	Shopping mall chain
Owner	SM Prime
Country	Philippines
Introduced	November 8, 1985; 37 years ago (November 8, 1985)
Related brands	SM Retail
Markets	Philippines and China
Tagline	You're always welcome here. We've got it all for you!
Website	smsupermalls.com

History

 

SM North EDSA, the first SM Supermall.

SM Supermalls was pioneered by Henry Sy, a Chinese Filipino businessman whose roots traces back to Fujian. Sy opened his first shoe store in Quiapo in 1948 and later the first store under the Shoemart (SM) name in 1958 along Carriedo.^[1] In 1972, Shoemart turned into a full-line department store.^[2]

In 1965, the company ventured into the supermarket and home appliance store business. It opened the first "Supermall" in the same year named SM North EDSA in Quezon City.^[3]

SM expanded abroad with the opening of its first branch in China in 2001. The mall is SM City Xiamen in Fujian.^[4]

Operations of SM Supermalls were affected by the imposition of enhanced community quarantines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. SM lose half of its revenue in 2020 although it claimed to have maintained a healthy occupancy rate within the next two years.^[5]

Branches

 

SM Seaside

Main article: List of SM Supermalls

There are 82 shopping malls in the Philippines operated by SM Supermalls following the opening of SM City Tuguegarao on November 18, 2022.^[6] It also has seven malls in China, with the most recent mall, SM City Tianjin opening in 2016.^[7] These include SM North EDSA in Quezon City, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, SM Megamall in Mandaluyong and SM Seaside in Cebu City which are among the largest in the Philippines.^[8]

Tenants and amenities

SM Cinema

 

SM Cinema at SM City Legazpi

SM Cinema is the movie theater chain of SM Supermalls.

SM Cinema is also responsible for some milestones in the Philippine film industry.

SM Cinema offers premium cinema experience called "Director's Club", which features leather-recliner-seating and butler service,^[9] and offers eight IMAX theaters including the first IMAX theater at the SM Mall of Asia which was opened in 2006 with a capacity of 635 seats (reduced to 490+ seats after renovation and Paragon 918 seating upgrade in 2019) and a screen height of 21.955 meters (72.03 ft), it is the largest cinema screen in the country.^[10][11]

The first drive-in theater in the Philippines was opened under the SM Cinema brand in July 2020 at SM City Pampanga.^[12]

There is a policy in place since 2002, which dictates the non-airing films rated R-18 in SM Cinemas.^[13]

SM Store

 

The SM Store at SM City Consolacion

The SM Store is the department store chain of SM Supermalls. The first outlet was established in 1972 along Carriedo in Manila, when Shoemart store was converted into a full-fledged department store.^[2] It was renamed as the SM Department Store in 1975^[14] prior to being rebranded as "SM Store". The SM Store would become one of SM Supermall's common anchor tenant.^[2]

SM Skating

SM Skating is SM's indoor ice rink chain. The first rink opened at SM Megamall in 1992 which later closed in 2006, but has since reopened in 2014 at another space.^[15] There are also ice rinks in SM Mall of Asia^[16] and SM Seaside City Cebu.^[17]

Branding

The current logo for SM Supermalls was adopted in 2022. The logo consists of the letters "SM" in a custom typeface referred to as Henry Sans after founder Henry Sy and uses a shade of blue dubbed as "SM Electric Blue".^[18]

References

1. Zhang, Wenxian; Alon, Ilan (2009). "Sy, Henry Sr". Biographical Dictionary of New Chinese Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 161. ISBN 978-1-84844-951-0. from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
2. "The SM Store: A template for the retail industry". The Philippine Star. March 8, 2016. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
3. "10 Surprising Facts You Didn't Know About SM Supermalls (But Should)". SM Supermalls. March 6, 2020. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
4. Dumlao-Abadilla, Doris (November 14, 2016). "SM stepping up China expansion". Philippine Daily Inquirer. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
5. "SM Supermalls sees full recovery by 2023". BusinessWorld. February 16, 2022. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
6. Salting, Ed Paolo (November 17, 2022). "SM Prime to open new mall in Tuguegarao". The Manila Times. from the original on November 17, 2022. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
7. "SM Prime opens 7th mall in China". ABS-CBN News. December 19, 2016. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
8. Go, Josiah (February 1, 2019). "Decoding Henry Sy's top growth strategies". Philippine Daily Inquirer. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
9. "FIRST LOOK: Director's Club Cinema at The Podium Comes With Butler Service". Spot.ph. from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
10. "First IMAX theater in RP raises gigantic screen". The Philippine Star. January 6, 2006. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
11. Dela Peña, Zinnia B. (July 16, 2009). "SM to roll out 3 new IMAX theaters in 2 yrs". The Philippine Star. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
12. "First PH drive-in theater in Pampanga set to open amid pandemic". ABS-CBN News. July 29, 2020. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
13. Cruz, Marinel (December 29, 2022). "Thriller 'Deleter' bags 7 MMFF trophies". Philippine Daily Inquirer. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
14. Pamaran, Maan De Asis (December 16, 2022). "Mall beginnings". The Manila Times. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
15. Dumlao, Doris (January 29, 2014). "SM mall introduces speed skating in PH". Philippine Daily Inquirer. from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
16. Iglesias, Iza (October 23, 2017). "Olympic-size ice skating rink invites family bonding". from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
17. "SM Seaside City opens first Olympic-size skating rink in Cebu". SM Supermalls. December 2, 2015. from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
18. "The vibrant new SM logo, part of its brand refresh". Manila Bulletin. September 4, 2022. from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved January 7, 2023.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to SM Supermalls.

• SM Supermalls – Official website
• SM Supermalls China – Official website