Ayala Malls Legazpi

Ayala Malls Legazpi is a shopping and leisure complex in Barangay Capantawan, Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines. Developed and managed by Ayala Malls in partnership with the Bicol-based LCC Group of Companies, it was created as a major contemporary retail destination for Legazpi and the wider Bicol Region. The mall occupies a site along Quezon Avenue, bounded by Luis Los Baños Avenue, Rizal Street, and F. Imperial Street. The property was formerly associated with the Legazpi Public Market and is situated on land owned by the city government and leased to LCC under a long-term agreement. The project began under the name Liberty City Center. LCC held a groundbreaking ceremony in September 2013, initiating the redevelopment of the former market site into a modern shopping center. In January 2015, Legazpi City officials announced that Ayala Land had joined the project. The resulting partnership gave Ayala Land responsibility for the mall's operation, while LCC retained responsibility for its department store and supermarket components. Ayala Land's reported investment in the development was approximately 1.6 billion Philippine pesos, according to the cited reference material. LCC Supermarket, operating as part of Liberty City Center, held a soft opening on December 16, 2015. The completed mall formally opened on April 19, 2016, with local government representatives and Ayala Land executives participating in the inauguration. Its opening marked Ayala Malls' first entry into the Bicol Region. The complex has a gross floor area of approximately 32,000 square metres and is arranged over four levels on a roughly 1.4-hectare site. Its architecture centers on a four-storey atrium intended to bring daylight into the interior and support natural ventilation. The mall was planned as more than a conventional enclosed retail center: its facilities include al fresco dining areas, four digital cinemas, lower-ground parking, a roof-deck organic garden, and a roof deck used for open-air concerts and community events. Ayala Malls Legazpi has more than 200 stores and combines national and international tenants with local businesses. Its principal anchors are LCC Department Store and LCC Supermarket, reflecting the operating partnership between Ayala Malls and LCC. The tenant mix also includes dining, specialty retail, services, entertainment, and leisure offerings. The mall has hosted branches described in the source material as first-in-Bicol locations for selected brands, including Timezone, J.CO Donuts, and Starbucks; the Starbucks branch was identified as the first in Albay. Around 10 percent of the store allocation was intended for local entrepreneurs, giving the project a role in supporting Bicol-based commerce alongside larger retail chains. Today, the mall's identity is tied to its role as a regional shopping, dining, entertainment, and event venue in Legazpi. It serves local residents, visitors to Albay, and surrounding communities while operating within the broader Ayala Malls network. Its partnership structure distinguishes it from a wholly Ayala-owned and operated center: Ayala Malls manages the overall mall environment, whereas LCC operates the department store and supermarket anchors.

Ayala Malls Legazpi originated as a redevelopment proposal by the LCC Group of Companies for the former Legazpi Public Market site in Legazpi City. LCC held the project's groundbreaking ceremony in September 2013 under the working name Liberty City Center. The proposed center was planned on land owned by the city government and leased to LCC through a 50-year lease arrangement. Its location, bounded by major streets near central Legazpi, positioned it to serve both everyday local shopping needs and the broader commercial activity of Albay. A major change occurred in January 2015, when Ayala Land was announced as a development partner. The project was subsequently identified as Ayala Malls Legazpi, extending the Ayala Malls network into the Bicol Region for the first time. The partnership divided operational responsibilities: Ayala Land would operate the shopping mall, while LCC would manage the department store and supermarket. Reference material reports an Ayala Land investment of approximately 1.6 billion Philippine pesos in the new complex. The LCC Supermarket, branded in connection with Liberty City Center, began operations with a soft opening on December 16, 2015. The wider shopping center opened formally on April 19, 2016. Local government officials and Ayala Land executives attended the opening, which established the property as a new retail and entertainment destination for Legazpi. The completed development is a four-level mall with approximately 32,000 square metres of gross floor area on a 1.4-hectare lot. Its design includes a large four-storey atrium that brings natural light into the interior and is also intended to assist ventilation. Rather than focusing only on enclosed retail, the property incorporates al fresco dining, four digital cinemas, lower-ground parking, a rooftop organic garden, and a roof deck used for concerts and other events. The tenant plan provided more than 200 stores, combining the LCC Department Store and LCC Supermarket with local, national, and international retailers, restaurants, specialty businesses, and services. The development also sought to include local entrepreneurs, with approximately 10 percent of store space allocated for local businessmen according to the cited material. Entertainment and food tenants included Timezone, J.CO Donuts, and Starbucks, with the Starbucks branch described as the first in Albay. Through this mix, Ayala Malls Legazpi was positioned as a regional lifestyle and community venue as well as a conventional shopping center. The mall remains associated with the Ayala Malls network and with the LCC partnership. Its development is notable in Legazpi's commercial history because it transformed a central market-site location into a modern, multi-use retail complex while preserving a role for a Bicol-based retail operator through the department store and supermarket anchors.

• 2016

  Formal mall opening

  [1]Ayala Malls Legazpien.wikipedia.org

  Ayala Malls Legazpi opened on April 19 as the first Ayala Malls property in the Bicol Region.

• 2015

  Ayala Land joins the development

  [1]Ayala Malls Legazpien.wikipedia.org

  Ayala Land partnered with LCC, and the project was renamed Ayala Malls Legazpi. Ayala Land took responsibility for mall operations while LCC retained the department store and supermarket.

• 2015

  LCC Supermarket soft opening

  [1]Ayala Malls Legazpien.wikipedia.org

  The supermarket component opened on December 16 ahead of the completed mall.

• 2013

  Groundbreaking for Liberty City Center

  [1]Ayala Malls Legazpien.wikipedia.org

  LCC Group of Companies began work on a planned shopping center at the former Legazpi Public Market site.

A regional Ayala shopping and lifestyle center combining national and international retail brands, LCC's department-store and supermarket anchors, local businesses, dining, cinemas, and community-oriented event spaces.

• Department store · 2016

  LCC Department Store

  The department store is one of the mall's two principal anchor tenants and is operated by the LCC Group of Companies. It provides a broad general-merchandise offering within the mall and links the development to LCC's established Bicol retail presence.

• Supermarket · 2015

  LCC Supermarket

  The supermarket is the second major LCC anchor. It began trading with a soft opening in December 2015, before the formal opening of the wider mall, and supplies grocery and everyday household shopping needs.

• Entertainment · 2016

  Digital cinemas

  Ayala Malls Legazpi includes four digital cinemas, adding film exhibition and out-of-home entertainment to its retail, dining, and service offer.

• Shopping and lifestyle · 2016

  Retail, dining, and specialty tenant mix

  The mall accommodates more than 200 stores across dining, services, specialty retail, and general shopping. The cited tenant examples include Timezone, J.CO Donuts, and Starbucks, alongside local businesses and LCC's anchor stores.

• 2015

  Strategic partnership with LCCStrategy

  Background

  The Liberty City Center project required a structure combining LCC's local retail presence with Ayala Land's mall development and operating capabilities.

  Action taken

  Ayala Land joined LCC as development partner, adopted the Ayala Malls Legazpi identity, and assumed responsibility for operating the mall. LCC continued to operate the department store and supermarket.

  Aftermath

  The partnership produced Ayala Malls' first shopping center in the Bicol Region and preserved LCC's role as the operator of the principal anchor businesses.

  Source

• 2015

  Reported investment in the developmentOther

  Background

  The new mall was developed as a large central-city retail complex on the former public-market site.

  Action taken

  Ayala Land confirmed an investment of approximately 1.6 billion Philippine pesos in the shopping complex.

  Aftermath

  The investment supported construction of the four-level mall, its retail spaces, entertainment facilities, parking, and event-oriented roof deck.

  Reported Ayala Land investment. PHP 1.6 billion (2015 development announcement)

  Source

1. 1Ayala Malls Legazpien.wikipedia.org