SM Megamall elevated to PRA Award's Hall of Fame
SM Megamall, the largest mall in the country, was elevated to the Hall of Fame in the recent Philippine Retailer's Association's Shopping Center of the Year Awards during the 19th Outstanding Filipino Retailers & Shopping Centers of the Year Awards at the Grand Ballroom Marriott Hotel in Newport, Pasay City. The 474,000 square meter shopping center was honored in the large category.
Widely known to have spearheaded the malling phenomenon in the Philippines when it opened in 1991, SM Megamall is known to have revolutionized many exciting retail and leisure concepts. Earlier these included the Artwalk and Art Center's gallery-in-the -mall, which brought art closer to shoppers; the Mega Trade Hall; and an ice skating rink that highlighted the Filipino's fire on ice by winning many world championships.
More recently, has become a premier shopping, dining, and lifestyle destination with the opening of the Mega Fashion Hall, its game-changing new wing.
Creating an exciting new presence on EDSA and giving SM Megamall a fresh, iconic identity, the Mega Fashion Hall is home to the first H&M store in the Philippines and the flagship store of Uniqlo, some of the world's most popular fashion brands. Many global brands have opened their first store in the Philippines in this new wing: Denmark's Vero Moda, Spain's Pull & Bear, L.A.-based Joe's Jeans, London's Savile Row and Burton, French shoe brand Nao de Brasil, and Sfera. US-based Crate & Barrel also opened its first store in the Philippines in the new wing.
The Mega Fashion Hall has also brought together some of the most exciting international dining concepts--Hong Kong's Michelin Star dimsum restaurant Tim Ho Wan, the first St. Marc Café of Tokyo, Din Tai Fung of Taiwan, The Halal Guys of Manhattan, New York, and gyoza specialist Osaka Osho; as well as Ippudo Ramen and TuanTuan.
The Mega Fashion Hall sets the standards for premier leisure and entertainment. Here, film enthusiasts can enjoy the larger- than- life IMAX Theater, as well as private screenings functions at the Director's Club, which has its own butler service. An Olympic- size ice skating rink and a fully computerized 14-lane Bowling Center complete the mega lifestyle experience.
As a responsible member of the community, SM Megamall has spearheaded many corporate social responsibility projects such as handicap friendly facilities, and environmental endeavors like a sewage treatment plant and the Trash for Crash recycling programs.
During the same event, other members of the SM Group also received awards. These included the Surplus Shop and Pet Express, which were elevated to the Hall of Fame in the Fashion Apparel-Large and Specialty Retailer - Medium categories; as well as SM Hypermarket and Save More which were also elevated to the Hall of Fame in the Hypermarket and Supermarket categories. Uniqlo received the award in the Foreign Brand Retailer in the large category, while Ace Hardware received an award in the Foreign Brand Specialty Retail, Home Improvement Center category.
The annual search for the Outstanding Filipino Retailers seeks to recognize Filipino retailers who have epitomized the model of a successful retailer in terms of growth and good ethical business practices.
Philippine Retailer's Association (PRA) introduced the Shopping Centers of the Year category in 2002, which recognize the Philippines' world-class shopping centers' part in promoting the growth and development of the retail industry.