Robinsons set to open 5 new provincial malls

MANILA, Philippines - Robinsons Land Corp. (RLC) is expanding its mall presence in new territories outside Metro Manila with the scheduled opening of five new provincial malls this year and next.

Aside from Robinsons Galleria Cebu which will open later this year, RLC said new malls in growth areas are also being developed to bring the Robinsons retail brand to the countryside.

RLC said Robinsons Place Tagum in Davao del Norte would open its doors to the public by December this year while Robinsons Place Jaro Iloilo, Robinsons Place Gen. Trias Cavite and Robinsons Place Antique are set for unveiling by next year.

“These new additions to Robinsons Land Corp.’s network of 44 malls all over the country highlight the company’s confidence in the growth areas outside the National Capital Region. We believe that creating these retail hubs in the countryside will offer growth opportunities not only to retailers but also the local entrepreneurs,” said Arlene G. Magtibay, Robinsons malls general manager.

Robinsons Place Tagum will have a total gross floor area of 65,800 sqm, of which about 60 percent or 34,439 sqm will be for lease to over 300 tenants.

“Tagum City serves as the province’s business gateway and functions as convergence area for developments and processing centers.  A study conducted in 2007 by the premier business school Asian Institute of Management cited Tagum as one of the top seven most viable mid-sized cities to do business in the Philippines. The city makes up 25 percent of Davao del Norte’s population with 945,764 residents, as of the last census,” RLC said.

Robinsons Place Jaro, meanwhile, will have a gross leasable area of about 23,074 sqm that can house about 250 tenants.

“The growth area of Jaro in Iloilo will host the second Robinsons Mall in this province,” RLC said.

Robinsons Place Gen. Trias will consist of a three-level commercial building, 56,900 sqm of floor area and 33,669.06 sqm of leasable space, while Robinsons Place Antique will have 10,249 sqm of floor area and 6,842 sqm of gross leasable area for over 100 tenants.

RLC, the property development arm of the Gokongwei family, has allotted P17 billion for capital expenditures in its 2015 fiscal year, the largest in the company’s history.