Philippine malls ready for holiday rush, operators say

Mall operators in the Philippines said their commercial establishments were ready for the anticipated increase in people going to shop, dine and enjoy some leisure time during the holiday season.

In a recent interview with DZMM radio station, executives of the country’s three largest shopping mall chains – SM supermalls, Robinsons malls, and Ayala malls – said that preparations and adjustments have been put in place to ensure the safety and convenience of mall goers.

Forum Robinsons located along EDSA corner Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City.

“We have converted a lot of outdoor spaces during the pandemic. We also ensured that we have many marshals, security (personnel) at the mall. When we do our events and activities, those are always well- planned,” said Robinsons mall’s regional operations manager Myron Yao.

The Robinson’s mall executive said there would be no overcrowding in their malls, regardless of the type of activity they hold inside the premises of their shopping complexes.

“First of all, we are going to address the mall operation hours” said Pivi Diaz, cluster head at Ayala Land Inc., which operates the Ayala-owned malls including the U.P. Town center and Fairview Terraces in Quezon City.

Ayala Malls Circuit

Diaz said this is in compliance with the guidelines of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), which requested malls in Metro Manila to adjust their operating hours and open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. starting Monday (Nov. 14).

“That is in anticipation of the rush of shoppers…  so they’ll have ample time to shop at the different Ayala malls,” she said, explaining that this was to accommodate more people during the holidays.

“We also augmented our security to monitor the traffic. Our safety marshals have also been augmented and even our housekeeping (personnel),” the Ayala Land executive added.

SM Megamall

Meanwhile, SM Supermalls vice president for corporate marketing Grace Victoria Magno said they were also complying with the MMDAs request to adjust mall hours and other mall activities.

“We have limited our sale events during weekdays so that the weekday traffic will not be affected… Unlike before, when we were doing sales promotions at any day or time,” the SM executive said.

Magno said people looking to avoid the difficulty dealing with crowded and long lines in their centers, as well as those who want to steer clear of the heavy traffic, could opt to have their shopping errands done for them through their online platform.

“I think that’s very convenient for people who want to experience the mall but are still scared to go out,” she added.

Foot traffic in these malls is expected to go up considerably as Christmas nears, with hundreds of thousands of people going daily to do their shopping and leisure activities.