MORE merchants are set to open their stores at the Abreeza Mall within the first quarter of 2018.
Luigi Escaño, general manager for Abreeza Mall, said during the weekly press forum at Habi at Kape at the Abreeza Corporate Center, said Gong Cha, Belgian Waflfe, NBA Store, Kitchen Aid, First Metro Securities, and Cebu Pacific are set to open their stores in the first quarter.
Escaño said the NBA Store that is set to open soon will be the first in Mindanao. He said the NBA Store has over 100 square meters (sqm.) of retail space and sanctioned by the NBA in the United States.
"All the merchandise that will be displayed are officially sactioned by the NBA," he said.
Escaño said the main mall has now reached an occupancy rate of 97 percent (%) and a leased out rate of 99%.
"Our operations team is working on closing the gap by leasing out the remaining one percent," he said, adding that the area that is to be leased out would be almost 400 sqm.
Escaño also noted that new merchants have opened in Abreeza from November to Dcember 2017 that improved their lifestyle offerings and occupancy rate.
These new merchant include Sunnies, Nailandia, Cecils, Blissful Nails, We Nail It!, Pet Soofari, New Era, Folded and Hung, and Merlgen. Other new merchants that opened last year include the Lego Store, Balay Verde, Calliope, Cecil's, Cambridge Child Development Centre, and Boy Zugba, among others.
"All of these names ramped up our occupancy and contributed to the variety of offering Abreeza Mall has right now," Escaño said.
Meanwhile, he said they are also looking into putting up a parking facility within the estate as they noted an increase in the demand of parking spaces. Currently, the basement and open parking can only accomodate 900 vehicles.
Escaño also said Accendo is also set to develop the two-hectare land in front of the mall, beside the Redemptorist Church in Bajada. He said they are looking into putting up residential towers in the area.