SM opens 4th mall in Bicol in Sorsogon

SM City Sorsogon, the Bicol Region's newest destination mall, opens today, 28 October. It is SM Prime's 81st supermall, and the fourth in Bicolandia after SM City Naga in Camarines Sur, SM City Legazpi in Albay, and SM City Daet in Camarines Norte.

Sorsogon City is the capital of the province of Sorsogon that lies in the Bicol peninsula. It faces the island of Samar to the southeast across the San Bernardino Strait and Ticao island to the southwest. It serves as Luzon's gateway to the Visayas and Mindanao through its roll-on/roll-off ferry terminal facilities located in the municipalities of Matnog, Pilar, and Bulan.

The city has an abundant supply of gifts from the sea — fish, shells, prawns, and seaweed — as well as gifts from farm lands planted with rice, coconut, vegetables, and root crops.

Sorsogon is best known for its pili nuts, a foodie favorite, as well as abaca or hemp, which over the years has been transformed into artisan crafts,  apart from rope. These two products are celebrated in the Kasanggayahan Festival, a month-long festival in October that coincides with the founding day of the province and has become a tourist attraction.

The province of Sorsogon is home to many well-known tourist destinations, such as the active stratovolcano Mt. Bulusan, exceptionally well-preserved Spanish bahay na bato homes in Juban, and the 1875 Baroque-period dome-like St. Joseph Church in Barcelona. It is best known for the town of Donsol, a well-known whale shark sighting destination named as the "Best Place for Animal Encounter" by Time Magazine.

Sorsogon City is home to a variety of natural attractions; beautiful beaches, limestone caverns, and a marine reserve are among the highlights found in the city's Bacon District. The most prominent of these are the prehistoric, artifact-rich Bato Limestone Caves and Paguriran Beach, which is surrounded by dark basalt.

Strategically located in a 132,003 square-meter site along Brgy. Balogo, Sorsogon City, SM City Sorsogon will serve shoppers in the flourishing province of Sorsogon. More than that, it will be a catalyst for employment and business opportunities in the area.

The 40,000 square-meter mall comes with a new and innovative building design. It has a sophisticated facade, a vibrant blue pattern inside the mall, large storefronts that are open and welcoming, glass entrances, covered walkways, and a bridgelink that connects to the Sorsogon Integrated Terminal Exchange, which overlooks the coastal road and offers breathtaking views of the sunrise and sunset over Bulusan Volcano and the mountain ranges of Juban and Magallanes towns in the background.

The SM Store and SM Supermarket are SM City Sorsogon's anchor stores, with SM mainstays like BDO, SM Appliance Center, ACE Hardware, Watsons, Surplus, Sports Central, and Miniso leading the way. It also has a Cyberzone for techie shoppers, as well as fashion boutiques, shoe stores, jewelry stores, eyewear stores, and sports stores.

Eating-out options include a Food Court, specialty restaurants, international and local food chains like Kenny Rogers, Shakeys, Jollibee, KFC, Botejyu, Mesa, Mr. Kimbob, Monster Wings, as well as milk tea brands Macau Imperial and Serenitea. Locals can now indulge in their favored sweet delicacies at JCO and preferred coffee blends at Starbucks.

Homegrown businesses have also found their way to SM City Sorsogon. These include Bigg's Diner, Graceland, Ice Blinker, Green Plaza Restaurant, 528 Ilawod, Legazpi Four Seasons, Legazpi Haircutters, Happy Feet travel agency, and Flowers Con Dahon.

SM City Sorsogon brings the magic of movies to residents with three digital cinemas. It also has amusement centers for kids, and wellness centers for looking good and feeling great.

For customer convenience, it has an open parking that can accommodate 705 vehicles.  The mall is also adjacent to PUV and e-jeep terminals with local trips to towns nearby.

SM City Sorsogon's project team includes DSGN Associates Inc., HBO + EMTB Associates; BCL Asia Landscape Architects, AOR; ABCEDE and KHMAYA, General Contractor.