Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Nasdaq -0.12%
Subscribe NowSupport Us

Daily Tribune

Daily Tribune
Subscribe
Tuesday, 1 September 2026
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Life
  • Show
  • Sports
  • Global Goals
  • Obituary
Partner feature

The Philippines' leading digital newspaper.

News
  • Headlines
  • Page three
  • Metro
  • Nation
  • World
  • Dyaryo Tirada
  • SONATOTOO (archive)
Opinion
  • All columnists
  • Editorials
  • Guest essays
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Scuttlebutt
Business
  • Shipping
  • Portraits
  • Pep
  • Business Advisories
  • Technology (Tech Talks)
Life
  • Show
  • Food & Drink
  • Getaways
  • Arts & Culture
  • Social Set
  • Spaces
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • The Edit
  • Top Form
  • Next Gen
  • Sacred Space
  • Project Larawan
  • Snaps
Sports
  • Hoops
  • Volley
  • Golf
  • Goal
  • Boxing
  • Tennis
  • Esports
  • Blast

Company

  • SONATOTOO archive
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Privacy
  • Subscribe
  • Support Us

© 2026 Daily Tribune · tribune.net.ph · Powered by Quintype

BUSINESS

SM Supermalls bullish as consumer spending holds up

TM

Toby Magsaysay·1 September 2026, 3:20 pm·1 MIN READ

SM Supermalls bullish as consumer spending holds up

SM Supermalls President Steven Tan speaks at a media briefing on Tuesday, 1 September, at SMX Aura in Taguig.

Photo by Toby Magsaysay

Text size
Partner feature

Stay informed

Get Daily Tribune in your inbox

Breaking news, opinion, and business coverage for readers in the Philippines and abroad.

Subscribe to the newsletter

What's your take?

Share

Google Preferred Sources

Get more Daily Tribune stories in your search results

Add Daily Tribune as a preferred source on Google Search.

Add to Google
Partner feature
Partner feature
Partner feature

Share

SM Supermalls is maintaining a bullish outlook on its near and medium-term prospects despite an increasingly challenging and complex economic environment.

At a Tuesday morning press briefing, SM Supermalls President Steven Tan said the company’s revenue reached P41.8 billion, up 8 percent year on year, while same-store revenue grew by 48 percent.

“[Our] long-term occupancy has been the highest ever since we [began operating] SM Supermalls. We are at 96 percent occupied,” he said.

“So basically, our occupancy is really almost 100 percent full. But for us, these numbers are also a reflection of something very important: Filipinos continue to choose to spend their time with us at SM Supermalls,” Tan added.

Tan acknowledged the pressures the onset of the national energy emergency in March has placed on the company’s tenants, particularly through higher electricity and fuel costs.

“The challenge right now is more on the cost of doing business. We've never experienced [these kinds] of charges per kilowatt-hour,” he said.

However, Tan noted that the energy shock has prompted consumers to alter their behavior, contributing to the malls’ solid performance in the first six months of 2026. He said higher electricity and fuel prices have resulted in customers spending more time at their malls, fueling consumption.

“We noticed that in our car park, they stayed for another hour,” he said.

“Because the oil prices, when they go up, you don't want to keep on driving around because it consumes a lot of gasoline, right? So if the dwell time becomes longer, then they consume everything in an SM Mall.”

SM Supermalls VP for Marketing Joaquin San Agustin added that foot traffic at its malls has also increased this year.

“Our sales are up particularly from last year. So basically, almost all categories are relatively holding [their] own. But the ones that are performing very well are really the casual dining,” he said, noting that the company’s food courts have also performed “very well.”

Tan said the company remains optimistic about its future plans, including its 91st flagship mall, SM Nuvali, which is slated to launch on 27 November, as well as the planned opening of two tennis courts at SM Aura in Taguig. He added that the upcoming Christmas season – which Filipinos typically start celebrating in September – should likewise boost the company’s performance for the rest of the year.

Tan said the malls’ healthy tenant mix, along with expanded offerings for sports, leisure and family-oriented activities, will provide Filipino consumers with a more holistic leisure experience.

“The tagline, ‘we've got it all for you,’ works well for us. Actually, everybody seems to have that in their mind, but with SM, we've got it all for you.”

  • SM Supermalls
  • SM Supermalls president Steven Tan

Also read

SM Investments
BUSINESS

SM Investments profit grows 8% as consumer demand holds

SM Investments Corp. (SM) posted an 8 percent increase in consolidated net income to P45.9 billion in the first half, from P42.6 billion a…

Maria Bernadette Romero·12 August 2026

Also read

SM posts strong H1 performance
PEP

SM posts strong H1 performance

SM Supermalls reported sustained foot traffic and positive business performance in the first half of 2026, attributing the momentum to…

Jason Mago·5 August 2026