SM malls’ foot traffic hits record 5.2M daily

The Sy family’s SM Supermalls plans to host more large-scale events, including weekly job fairs and new attractions at the Mall of Asia, to sustain its record foot traffic in 2024, which reached an average of 5.2 million visitors per day.

Foot traffic means the number of individuals who visit SM malls each day.

In a stock exchange report on Wednesday, SM Supermalls reported an all-time high average daily foot traffic, which rose 6 percent from 4.9 million a day amid favorable economic conditions, mall and tenant expansion, and a diverse lineup of in-mall entertainment and events.

“This reflects the trust and loyalty of our shoppers, the strength of our tenant partnerships, and the evolution of our malls as vibrant community hubs,” SM Supermalls president Steven T. Tan said.

Nearly 23-K stores

By the end of 2024, SM Supermalls had 22,579 tenant stores, nearly 70 percent of which were micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), reinforcing its position as the country’s largest marketplace for MSMEs.

The mall operator also expanded its retail mix by welcoming new foreign brands, including Disney Store, National Geographic, Nitori and Paris Baguette.

SM Supermalls expanded its footprint last year with two new openings. SM City Caloocan, a three-level mall spanning 53,577 square meters, launched on 17 May while SM J Mall, the 87th SM mall in the country, opened on 25 October. It offers 78,229 square meters of retail space across four levels.