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Tuesday, February 21, 2006
SM City Cebu to build 5-story annex by March
By Liberty a. Pinili Of Sun.Star Cebu
Watching a movie or shopping would become more convenient at SM City Cebu, particularly for persons with disabilities and the elderly, once mall management completes a five-story annex that will rise on the parking lot fronting Kaoshiung St. at the north reclamation area in Cebu City.
SM began closing portions of the parking lot adjacent to the V-hire terminal yesterday to prepare for the construction of the annex, which will begin on March 1.
Sherry Tuvilla, SM City Cebu mall manager, said the construction of the annex is expected to be completed in May next year.
The annex will feature more shops, restaurants, a three-level parking space and possibly the biggest entertainment center among SM malls in the country, excluding the Mall of Asia, said Tuvilla.
She said the annex will provide more convenience for customers as they can park there and directly enter the SM department store and theaters.
Customers and mall tenants, though, will suffer a few inconveniences.
Prior to the closure of a section of the mall parking lot, SM City Cebu can accommodate about 2,335 cars. But with the construction of the annex, parking space will be down to 1,600 car slots.
Parking
Tuvilla said mall management will allow parking on the sidewalk near Sheraton Hotel and the motorcycle parking area will be converted to accommodate more cars.
The sidewalk near Goldilocks, on the other hand, will be made into a parking area for motorcycles.
Delivery vans of mall tenants will also be re-routed.
Although Tuvilla cannot divulge the exact cost of the construction, she said the laying of the foundation of the annex alone is estimated to cost from P200 to P300 million.
Store slots
Marissa Fernan, SM senior assistant vice president for marketing for Visayas and Mindanao, said the annex will contain 168 store slots for lease or a total area of 17,516 square meters.
She said the annex will feature some “emerging” brands and high-end shops that can no longer be accommodated at the main mall.
This early, she said, several entities have expressed interest in locating at the annex.
Asked if the shops and restaurants at the annex will try to cater to call center employees by operating 24 hours, Fernan said mall management has yet to study if it would be feasible to extend the operation of restaurants at the annex beyond normal operating hours.
Fernan also revealed that SM City has also completed the renovation of mall theaters one to four while a makeover of certain portions of the department store is nearing completion.
Fernan said the mall did “very well” last year and posted a “double-digit” growth in income.
Although she did give details on the mall’s financial performance, she said the increase is due to SM City’s ability to “be in tune with what our customers’ wants and needs.”
She cited the establishment of the Land Transportation Office and the Visayan Electric Co. office in the mall.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 21, 2006 issue)
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