SM Prime’s E-Com Centers support robust BPO growth

MANILA, Philippines - The booming business processing outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines has pushed property developer SM Prime Holdings Inc. to aggressively put up e-commerce centers in key locations in Metro Manila to serve the growing demand for office space.

SM Prime’s Commercial Properties Group (CPG) senior vice president David Rafael said they are building more E-Com Centers at the Mall of Asia (MOA) complex in Pasay City due to the sustained expansion of the BPO industry, one of the economy’s major growth drivers.

“Our commitment to contribute to the growth of our economy is firm, so much so that we are investing heavily on infrastructure to cater to the demand of the BPO sector, which is currently on a winning streak,” he said.

The local BPO industry continued to shine  last year, recording a stellar 19-percent growth in revenues to $18.4 billion, fuelled by the rising demand for outsourced services from the healthcare information management, gaming and animation and global in-house center segments.

Also, a total of 1.03 million outsourced professionals were employed in 2014. This year, the industry is expected to hit $21.3 billion in revenues, and employ a total of 1.18 million agents.

“This is a clear sign that more and more players will be coming into the Philippines. These companies would require office spaces in prime and strategic locations such as the MOA complex,” Rafael said.

Hosting the six envisioned E-Com Centers, the 67-hectare MOA complex is a suitable location for outsourcing companies that are in need of office space. Located near transport hubs across the Mall of Asia, the centers are a few minutes away from the country’s train systems, the Light Rail Transit Line 1 and the Metro Rail Transit Line 3. It is also near the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City.

This year, the office space at the Bay Area will only be supplied by Five E-Com, which is already 50- percent pre-leased.

Targeted to start commercial operations in April, Five E-Com Center is a 15-story building designed by Miami-based architectural company Arquitectonica. It boasts of a floor area of 125,716 square meters that could cater to the growing demand for office space in Metro Manila.

Aside from office businesses, the E-Com Centers are envisioned to become a prime entertainment complex that could host conferences, meetings, and social and corporate events and gatherings.

Particularly, Five E-Com’s fourth level, known as the Prism Plaza, will feature a landscaped deck and pond, housing retail and office spaces. The building is also in front of the E-Com Urban Park, where its tenants could unwind after a full day’s work.

Five E-Com joins the company’s portfolio of properties, which include: Two E-Com Center, SM Makati Cyber One, SM Makati Cyber Two, SM Cyber Baguio and SM Cyber West in Quezon City.

Soon, more E-Com Centers will rise at the Mall of Asia Complex, namely: Three E-Com, which is is currently being constructed (target date of completion is 2017), and Four E-Com, which is scheduled for ground breaking in 2019.