MANILA, Philippines - Robinsons Land Corp., the property development arm of the Gokongwei family, has expanded Robinsons Place Tacloban, two years after its reopening in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda, as the city continues its recovery following the disaster that hit the area.
RLC president Frederick Go said the company expanded the mall, on the back of the city’s resilient and steady progress.
“This expansion is a testament to the resilience and positive energy of the Taclobanons as they not only recover but thrive after the devastation wrought by Yolanda,” Go said.
As part of the expansion, RLC opened a new mall wing that boosts the mall’s size by 50 percent.
There is also a Summit Hotel, the second hotel in the complex, which caters to the growing MICE (meetings, incentives, conferencing, exhibitions) market in the Visayas region.
“Due to the growing economy of Tacloban City, we have created additional space for more upscale shopping and dining options as well as more venues for entertainment,” Go said.
Go said the expansion called for the construction of an extension mall at the back of the existing mall, which includes the expansion of Robinsons Supermarket and the two-story Robinsons Department Store.
This, he said, makes grocery shopping more complete.
With the expansion, RLC added 1,300 square meters to Robinsons Supermarket with its current size of 3,608 sqm.
“Robinsons Supermarket will be unveiling a fresher and greener look,” Go also said, adding that this would be in addition to the supermarket’s clean store policy of wide aisles and uncluttered ceiling.
The expansion mall, meanwhile, has one additional level which provides two extra cinemas with a total of 540 seats, tenants and an amusement area.
Aside from the amusement area, RLC also tripled the capacity of the mall’s activity area.
For a more complete dining experience, RLC also has an al fresco dining area, which connects to the Summit Hotel, which will open before the end of the year.