Robinsons Place Bacolod to open new leisure destination

MANILA, Philippines - Robinsons Place Bacolod reflects the unique lifestyle of Bacolod, which is known as the City of Smiles. In Bacolod, people don’t go to the mall just to run errands or hurriedly buy food and other necessities. Most often, a trip to the mall is with the entire family, for dinner and a screening at Robinsons Movieworld, which has a 3D cinema. Children, even teenagers, spend Sundays with their families (going out with friends is done on Saturday) and everyone wants to go to the mall to eat, walk around and enjoy the company of their family.

Robinsons Place Bacolod, located on Lacson St., Mandalagan, has over 134 stores and restaurants, and six cinemas. The mall is near Silay City, which is home to many historical landmarks including the Victor Fernandez Gaston Heritage House, Manuel Severino Hofileña Heritage House, and the Bernardino Lopez Jalandoni Ancestral House.

It is also minutes away from the new Bacolod Silay Airport, making it a good stop for visitors to buy pasalubong on their way home.

Robinsons Place is Bacolod’s first full-service mall. Since it opened in 1997, it has gone from being a daily shopping experience to being the center of leisure and entertainment in the city.

Robinsons Place Bacolod is undergoing an expansion that, once completed, will add a new one-level shopping and dining destination and provide 6,000 square meters more to the shopping mall’s existing gross floor area of 48,500 square meters.

Rendering of Robinsons Place Bacolod’s Central Citywalk, which will open end of 2011.

The expansion aims to give Robinsons Place Bacolod’s customer base more options in terms of dining and shopping. There will be gadget stores and specialty services shops that will offer dental and dermatological services, among others.

The new area, called The Central Citywalk, will have a park-like setup with lighted pathways surrounded by landscaped gardens with five clusters of commercial spaces consisting of lifestyle stores and mid-to high-end al fresco restaurants. Al fresco dining is a very new concept in Bacolod and this is the first time it is being introduced in such a grand scale.

There will be 35 tenants, 18 food outlets. The Central will also be home to homegrown stores like ANP, Fresh Start Organics Inc., House of Imbiss, The Green Tree Cafe, The Gym Kids, Salon U-Ropa Facial Care Centre, Virtu Salon, and Mendez Dental Clinic.

The first cluster will be an expansion of the Robinsons Department Store while the second and fourth clusters will feature specialty stores services shops, amusement outlets and specialty food restaurants. The third cluster will house more restaurants and specialty services while the fifth cluster will have various lifestyle options.

The Central Citywalk will also have scene-setting areas like the Blue Water Plaza with a clever fountain that jets water out at timed intervals; Lighted Chimneys, a dome-like structure that makes the mall a modern landmark; and a landscaped area with plant boxes and tropical plants.

The Blue Water Plaza is expected to be a magnet for visitors because it is where kids and adults can play and frolic. The Lighted Chimneys will serve as an iconic point of reference for the mall and is visible from the main highway. It will be a reminder that, yes, Bacolod City has retained its old-world charm, but also welcomes development and urbanization.

The Central Citywalk will open in the last quarter of 2011.