Habits
SM city Cebu along the north reclamation area, on the other hand, is as broad and masa it can get. And there lies its strength.
The massive rectangular structure that sits on a 17-hectare property opened a few months ahead of the Ayala Center using a time-tested formula to bring in the crowd: the drawing power of popular Manila-based movie and television stars and entertainers who came to regale the Cebuanos with free concerts.
Still, Fernan, who began her career in the mall business as the operations manager of SM City Cebu, admitted that the first year was full of challenges.
Ahead of Ayala Center in terms of devising ways to bring in the crowd, SM City started with giving free rides to the mall since there was no public utility route to the site at that time.
SM city also provided incentive to the drivers - giving free movie pass for every jeepload they brought in.
But it was one thing to bring in the crowd and another to keep them inside the mall.
She said that in that early year, the Cebuanos treated SM City like a department store where one had to go home for lunch after shopping or buying groceries. Food outlets had to slash down prices to entice shoppers to stay in and eat.
It was not just the eating habit that SM City molded. It was the shopping habit too. From about 84 initial tenants, SM City Cebu now has 320 outlets, excluding the hallway carts and kiosks.
Affordability set the tone for SM City shopping, Fernan said. For example, "in fashion at an affordable price for B, C, D students."
SM City Cebu according to Fernan, is essentially a C and D shopping mall with sprinkling of A and B crowd.
But there are also A and B shoppers, she added, who normally come in the early hours, right after the mall opens at 10 a.m., to avoid the rush of people.
It is literally a rush of people, especially during those famous "sale" days. On the average, at least 100,000 people go to SM City every day, going up to 140,000 to 150,000 on weekends.
Taken in North Reclamation Area, SM City Cebu, Cebu, Philippines |
