Now open- the biggest mall in Davao and Mindanao.
This is the sixth mall in the city and the most exciting stomping ground to open this year. The SM in Lanang may be one of the giant retailer’s premier brand but the attraction remains the same— no snooty vibe, everybody’s welcome.
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| Opening day ceremonies |
It was hearsay that SM was erecting another shopping center on the northern part of the city and everyone was asking the same question—Are we really ready for another mall in the city? Not until the property was boarded up that the locals believed the rumor to be true. Construction was unbelievably swift for a mall this size, and now SM Lanang Premier is the region’s new destination of choice.
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| Harley Bangayan & SM's Herson Sy |
The four-storey complex houses the shopping, dining and entertainment zones on 145,000 square-meters of floor area— a park with a breathtaking fountain, a skygarden, state-of-the-art cinemas, a spacious convention center, department store, supermarket, a hotel and numerous upscale retail stores and restaurants, making this mall a single stop leisure destination.
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| From the family of the former landowners where SM Lanang Premier sits- Bert & Ellen Dakudao & family
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At the invitational opening, the mall commanded the presence of Davao’s most prominent figures in business, politics, media and fashion eager to witness what the 46th SM shopping center had to offer. The main anchors, mainstays and a few retail shops simultaneously opened to welcome the first wave of guests and didn’t disappoint.
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Margie Moran-Floirendo with daughter Monica
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Only on the early days of the SM Lanang Premier’s existence, the effect is intense. Heavy road traffic has become unavoidable on all the major thoroughfares radiating from this mall’s site. The creeping bumper-to-bumper scene in the zone will be a common sight in the months to come. It was and will be the same for the mall’s foot traffic. The opening weekend drew a huge crowd and the head count is increasing rapidly as days pass leading towards the Yuletide season.
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| Congresswoman Milen Albano |
So let’s go back to the question of are we really ready for another mall in the city? Make your way towards Lanang and find out for yourself. It will be a test on patience though. But the reward on the end of the journey will be worth your while.
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| Lani Ayala-Villorente |
For more lifestyle & travel stories, visit http://apples-and-lemons.blogspot.com/ and http://jeepneyjinggoy.blogspot.com/ Published in Sun.Star Davao newspaper on October 14, 2012.
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| SM's Lynette Lopez, Debbie Go & Nick Santos |
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| Davao Media- Ian Garcia, Meg Sta. Ines, Jinggoy S., Kenneth Ong & Jojie Alcantara |
