By James A. Loyola

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime), one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia, will open its newest mall, SM Center Ormoc in the Province of Leyte today (November 16).

This is the Company’s first mall in Eastern Visayas Region and will offer more than 20,000 square meters (sqm) of gross floor area (GFA) of dining, shopping and entertainment options.

“It is SM Prime’s pride and joy to finally open our first mall in the Eastern Visayas Region. SM Center Ormoc will be a great addition to the growing local economy of Ormoc City and the continuously developing province of Leyte,” SM Prime President Jeffrey C. Lim said.

He added that, “we look forward to more growth opportunities for the people of this region along with SM’s brand of lifestyle and entertainment.

SM Center Ormoc will open with 85 percent of its space lease awarded, covering three floors of mixed recreation, service and entertainment facilities led by SM Supermarket, SM Appliance Center, Watsons, Ace Hardware, Simply Shoes, Surplus, Miniso and Banco De Oro.

It will also feature an al fresco dining area on its second level and four SM Cinemas, including a Director’s Club Cinema.

The mall is bounded by Hermosilla Drive in the north, Real Street in the east, Osmeña Street in the south and Anilao River in the west.

SM Prime has opened four new malls in the first nine months of 2018 namely SM Center Imus in Cavite, SM City Urdaneta Central in Pangasinan, SM City Telabastagan in Pampanga and SM City Legazpi in Albay.