MALL culture is thriving in the provinces. In Cavite’s General Trias City, a new Robinsons mall has opened.
The recent inauguration of the three-story Robinsons Place General Trias drew a lot of people, who gladly welcomed celebrity guests Maja Salvador, JC de Vera and Markki Stroem.
Robinsons Land Corp.’s Frederick Go and JG Summit Holdings’ Lance Gokongwei, were on hand to lead the inauguration program.
Robinsons Place Gen. Trias is the 43rd mall of the Gokongwei group. It has more than 30,000 square meters of commercial space, with high ceilings and a classy design theme quite uncommon for a provincial mall.
It also boasts homegrown businesses, a conscious effort to support local entrepreneurs, said Derrick Candelaria, lease director for commercial centers of Robinsons Land. “We want the mall to become a one-stop shop, with an identity that is unmistakably General Trias.”
The mall’s lease manager Rhamiro Fajardo said that management encourages small businesses and retailers “by acting as consultants to improve their brand.”
Some 10 percent of the mall’s tenants are homegrown brands, including popular Caviteño restaurant Calle Real, as well as Chicks and Chops, Hong Kong Noodles and Dimsum House, and Teatoo.
Apart from highlighting local retailers, the mall also includes Robinsons mainstay establishments like Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Appliances, Robinsons Movieworld, Handyman, Toys “R” Us, Daiso and Robinsons Bank.
Likewise, the mall operates six cinemas and has government service centers for PHLPost, PhilHealth and Tesda.