From a department store in Quiapo, Manila, SM has come to define the country's biggest and best malls. As early as the 1970's they built their branch in Makati which was then a sizable. In 1997, they built SM Megamall, the biggest mall of that time. Cut to May 2006, and they've done it again by building the largest mall now.
The SM Mall of Asia is the largest shopping mall in the Philippines and the 7th largest shopping mall in the world. In terms of gross floor size, it is next to the South Dongguan Mall, Golden Resources Mall, Central World Plaza, Seacon Square, Runwal Arcade - Mumbai.
The newly constructed and aptly named SM Mall of Asia has captured the imagination not just of Filipinos but also of tourists from around the world. The sheer size and uniqeness of it is enough to draw day tripper's curiosity.
The numbers can be mind boggling: 600 shops, 150 restaurants, 5,000 parking spaces and an Olympic size skating rink which is described as the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia. Two elevated walkways from the second level of the mall that extend across an avenue towards the Manila bay. The result is a clear and wide ranging view of the most spectacular sunset in the world.
One of the mall's main attractions is the first ever IMAX theater in the country, along with a Director's Club Theater for intimate screenings, a Premiere Cinema, and the CenterStage Cinema which can used for live musical concerts and theatrical performances.
The Mall of Asia is far from just being a mall, it's an extension of the Filipino home for the rest of the world to see and visit.
