SM Prime is opening its 57th mall in the Philippines.

SM City San Jose Del Monte will open today. It is the third in the province of Bulacan after SM City Baliwag and SM City Marilao.

The new mall will add 101,000 sqm in gross floor area to the total floorplate of SM Prime, SM Prime, the country’s largest integrated property company. Total retail space will add up to 7.4 million sqm, the largest footprint in the country.

“We continue to expand in the provincial areas as we remain optimistic about their huge potential for growth. The opening of SM City San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan is a testament to this strategic direction as we remain steadfast in developing premier destinations around the country,” SM Prime President Hans Sy said.

San Jose Del Monte is a second-tier city with predominantly middle income households, of which, 62 per cent have family members that are OFWs. The city contributes to one of the fastest growing residential and commercial hubs in the Northern Gateway of Metro Manila, covering 59 barangays and a population of almost 500,000 based on the 2010 census.

SM City San Jose Del Monte opens with 70 per cent of space lease-awarded occupying its three floors with retail stores, dining outlets, recreation and entertainment facilities, and service centers topped with commendable architectural design making it the newest vibrant urban hub in the north of Metro Manila. 

The prime spaces are allocated to local and international retail brands, food outlets and anchor tenants such as The SM Store, SM Supermarket, SM Appliance Center, Ace Hardware, BDO, Surplus, Watsons and SM Cinema with four state-of-the-art cinemas.

By the end of 2016, SM Prime is targeting to have 61 malls in the Philippines and six in China with an estimated combined GFA of 8.6 million sqm.