In keeping its commitment to spur growth and promote homegrown brands through property arm SM Prime Holdings Inc., the SM group opened SM Supermalls in Santo Tomas, Batangas, its 85th mall.

Situated at the foot of the picturesque Mt. Makiling, SM City Santo Tomas is conveniently located just south of Manila.

The SM Group contributes significantly to the national workforce and new developments like malls and retail stores present employment opportunities for local area residents.

“SM Supermalls is committed to not just being a destination for shopping, but a pillar of community growth and development,” Steven Tan, president of SM Supermalls, said. “We view ourselves as partners with the areas where we operate, helping create jobs and livelihood opportunities to spur economic progress.”

Shift spreads growth centers

The opening marks another milestone in the group’s strategic development towards the regions, making it accessible to other nearby growth centers such as Laguna and Quezon, and a gateway to what the city and Batangueños can offer.

This is the fourth mall in the province, following SM City Batangas, SM City Lipa, and SM Center Lemery, which opened in 2004, 2006, and 2017, respectively.

“The regions are providing a lot of growth potential for all of our businesses as we continue to expand in many underserved areas,” Frederic DyBuncio, president and CEO of SM Investments Corp., said.

Santo Tomas City Mayor Arth Jhun Marasigan shared how the opening of SM in their community has paved the way for different opportunities not only for the city itself but also for its residents.

“Many of our residents have found opportunities to open their own business within the mall and its surrounding areas,” Marasigan said. “The provision of employment brought by its opening has catered to thousands of job-seekers, most especially Tomasinos and, in turn, had an impact on the city’s economy.”

Watsons Philippines, an SM Retail affiliate, has 80 percent of its employees coming from Santo Tomas.

Tomasinos also make up a majority of the workforce of SM Supermarket as well as other SM Retail affiliates such as Sports Central Inc., Surplus and Ace Hardware.