SM opens new mall in Caloocan

MANILA, Philippines — The site of the Ever Gotesco Grand Central mall in Caloocan City, which was razed by fire in 2012, has given birth to a new mall, SM City Grand Central.

This marks another expansion by the Sy Group’s SM Prime Holdings Inc. in Metro Manila.

SM City Grand Central opens today, timed with the reopening of the economy, along with the decline in the daily count of COVID cases in the country, according to SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim said.

Lim said SM City Grand Central is seen to reignite the malling experience in the area just like how it used to be in the early ‘90s.

“As the economy starts to re-open given the improving COVID-19 condition in major key areas in the Philippines, primarily here in Metro Manila, we are pleased to welcome customers to our newest mall, SM City Grand Central,” Lim said.

He said the same standard of health and safety protocols would be implemented for a safe and comfortable shopping and dining experience when you visit an SM mall,” he said.

SM City Grand Central will add more than 116,000 square meters of gross floor area to SM Prime’s mall portfolio.

The new mall will provide six levels of retail spaces for shopping, dining, entertainment and recreational activities.

SM City Grand Central will be opening with more than 70 percent of space lease awarded.

The mall is located at the heart of the commercial district of Caloocan with connections to various transportation terminals going in and out of the Metro including LRT 1 via Monumento Station.

It will house more than 700 parking slots, four digital cinemas, two Director’s Club, two regular cinemas, foodcourt, cyberzone, Department of Foreign Affairs Satellite Office, Chapel of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, and The Skylight Park indoor garden.