TWO new Shoe Mart (SM) malls, one of which is in Tianjin, China, are set to rise in two years boosting the retail giant's presence not just in the country but in the region.

"A bigger and bolder SM Prime has since emerged, ready to take on the vast opportunities that will come from a robust and still growing Asian economy. Examples of this new momentum we are experiencing are the projects we are undertaking in Cebu City and in Tianjin, China,” Hans T. Sy, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) president said.
 
SM Prime is building in the industrial city of Tianjin its biggest mall to date with a floor area of 530,000 square meters (sqm.)


SM Tianjin will showcase the latest and the best in mall design and build quality. The mall will feature three oval-shaped arch buildings and its overall shape will look like a blossoming flower.

 
SM Tianjin, reachable via a 30-minute ride of high-speed train and roughly one and a half hours by car from Beijing, will open in 2013.

 
Sy said it will be a grand showcase of how SM Prime has transformed into a first rate mall owner and developer not just in the Philippines but also in select cities of China.

 
The Philippines’ dominant mall developer and operator is also building new shopping malls in Cebu City’s reclaimed South Road Properties (SRP).