SM Mall of Asia is PRA's Shopping Center of the Year

The SM Mall of Asia recently received the Philippine Retailers’ Association’s Shopping Center of the Year Award during its 2008 Outstanding Filipino Retailers and Shopping Centers of the Year Night held at the Crowne Plaza in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

This is the third time that an SM Supermall has been cited by the PRA since it launched the Shopping Center of the Year Award in 2002. SM City Baguio was cited in 2005, and SM Mall of Asia also won last year. Winning the award for the second time, SM Mall of Asia is already included in the Hall of Fame for consistently bagging the award.

Envisioned as the premier destination mall in the Pacific region, the SM Mall of Asia has raised the standards of shopping, leisure, and entertainment in the Philippines.

Located at the scenic Bay City development along Roxas Boulevard, it has a gross floor area of 400,000 square meters, making it the third largest mall in the world.

The complex consists of four buildings linked by elevated walkways – the Main Mall, the North Parking Building, the South Parking Building, and the Entertainment Center.

With over 600 shops and 150 restaurants, it is the ultimate shopping experience.

The Main Mall includes shops and restaurants, the Food Court, and the Country’s first Olympic-sized ice skating rink.

The South Parking Building houses the SM Department Store, while the North Parking Building includes the SM Hypermarket, two of its major anchors.

The Entertainment Center Building offers a spectacular view of Manila Bay from its trendy row of restaurants.

The country’s first IMAX Theater is another attraction in the Entertainment Center, as are its 10 cinemas, including Director’s Club for private viewing, and Centerstage for live performances.

Getting around the mall is easy. A tram takes customers around the perimeter of the mall, while the elderly and handicapped can use golf carts in the mall.

The SM Mall of Asia has 5,000 indoor parking slots, as well as outdoor parking facilities for customer convenience.

A transport terminal servicing destinations in Metro Manila and other areas in Luzon, as well as a taxi bay, make traveling very accessible.

Since it opened its doors to a record one million customers during opening day in May 2006, the mall – which SM Founder and Chairman Henry Sy, Sr. has called “the greatest project of my life” – has created a lot of excitement in the local shopping centers’ scene.

It has also grown to include a fully computerized Bowling Center, and more recently, a Science and Discovery Center that includes a planetarium and the world-class SMX Convention Center.