Saturday, June 15, 2013
THE first outlet mall in the Visayas and Mindanao by homegrown property developer AboitizLand Inc. demonstrates Cebu’s bustling retail scene and the south’s vibrant economy, officials said yesterday during the groundbreaking ceremony in Lapu-Lapu City.
Officials said The Outlets is scheduled to rise in Pueblo Verde, Mactan Economic Zone 2 in the last quarter of this year in time for retail’s peak season.
AboitizLand project development assistant vice president Rafael Fernandez de Mesa said Cebu’s capability to accommodate direct investments, including global brands, shows the evolution of the province’s commerce and purchasing power.
De Mesa said Cebu’s growing population and central location for tourism buoyed the decision to choose the province to host AboitizLand’s pioneer outlet mall.
He said The Outlets is an independent leasable mall of about 3,000 square meters that is “designed to redefine the shopping and tourism experience in the south.”
He added that it will also aim to integrate Pueblo Verde’s range of commercial and corporate establishments, which include restaurants, supermarkets, financial institutions and offices.
Wider market
De Mesa said the outlet stores in the country are only in Luzon, specifically in Laguna, Pampanga and Subic, for now.
AboitizLand commercial business unit manager Clifford M. Academia said the awareness of industry players to adopt an international business concept, such as outlet stores, is in sync with Cebu’s retail confidence.
Academia said the retail sector needs facilities or models such as The Outlets for businesses to extend their products and services to a wider market.
Gracing the ceremony yesterday, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza acknowledged The Outlets as a “stellar addition” to the city’s brisk commercial and tourism communities.
Radaza mentioned that in 2012, Lapu-Lapu ranked second only to Manila and was also among the top 10 in tourist and domestic travel traffic, respectively.
“Now that mall developments like The Outlets are starting to sprout in our metropolis, we have bright forecasts that Lapu-Lapu will emerge as another favorite shopping destination in the south,” Radaza said.
De Mesa said The Outlets will highlight global brands at discounted prices. The list includes Nike, Adidas, Bench, Oakley, Levi’s Dockers, Timberland and Reef.
The Outlets can hold up to 24 spaces per brand. He said Nike and Adidas acquired close to 300 square meters while Bench got 400.
According to De Mesa, The Outlets, which was conceptualized in less than a year, required an initial investment of about P60 million.
“We wanted to communicate that The Outlets is planned with the merchants, unlike other projects which are marketed only after construction. On the business side, it’s effective that way,” De Mesa emphasized.
He said the idea was also realized because of the receptiveness of participating merchants.
Nike Factory Store (NFS) directors Chris Monteron and Jeremias Posadas expressed optimism on their collaboration with AboitizLand.
With Cebu rising as a power economy, Posadas said, the company is hoping to establish in the south a fan base for originality, quality and value.
Monteron said every NFS item at The Outlets is discounted for up to 70 percent, but meets US standard product specifications.
NFS-Cebu at The Outlets is now the third official NFS nationwide since the company’s inception in Pampanga in 2008, followed by the one in Laguna.
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