SM City

SM City is a shopping-mall brand and naming format associated with SM Supermalls, the Philippine mall network operated by SM Prime Holdings. The name belongs to the wider SM retail ecosystem, whose roots trace back to Henry Sy's shoe business. Sy opened his first shoe store in Quiapo, Manila, in 1948 and began using the Shoemart name in 1958. Shoemart later expanded beyond footwear: in 1972 it became a full-line department store, and in 1985 the business entered supermarket and home-appliance retail. The initials SM derive from Shoemart and became the principal identity of the group's retail and property businesses. The mall business began with SM North EDSA in Quezon City, opened in 1985 and described by the group as its first supermall. Subsequent SM City developments established a repeatable format combining department-store and supermarket anchors with specialty retail, dining, entertainment, services, and community-oriented facilities. Although individual properties have different sizes, tenant mixes, and local positioning, the SM City name generally denotes a broad-based regional or metropolitan shopping center rather than a single standalone product. SM City malls commonly incorporate businesses and amenities from across the SM portfolio. The SM Store serves as a frequent department-store anchor, while SM Markets may include SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, Savemore Market, and other supermarket formats. Other recurring components include SM Food Court or more upscale food-hall concepts, SM Cyberzone technology-retail areas, SM Cinema multiplexes, and recreational venues such as SM Skating, SM Bowling, and SM Game Park. Some locations also provide chapels or host Catholic masses and other community activities, reflecting the social and religious context of the Philippine market. The format developed primarily in the Philippines but the wider SM mall network also expanded into China. The first overseas mall cited in the reference material was SM City Xiamen, opened in Fujian in 2001. The network has included large destination malls as well as smaller city and community centers. SM Cinema has broadened the entertainment proposition through conventional screens, IMAX, IMAX with Laser, Director's Club auditoriums, large-screen formats, Centerstage venues, and SM Event Screen facilities. In July 2020, SM Cinema opened what the reference material identifies as the Philippines' first drive-in theater at SM City Pampanga. The brand's physical retail model was tested by the COVID-19 pandemic, which sharply affected mall traffic and company revenue. The network nevertheless continued to emphasize occupancy and the role of its malls as retail, dining, entertainment, and community destinations. In 2022, SM Supermalls introduced a redesigned visual identity using a custom typeface called Henry Sans and a blue color identified as SM Electric Blue, while the older logo continued to appear in some contexts. SM City therefore functions less as an independently incorporated company than as a recognizable mall identity within the broader SM Prime and SM Group architecture.

SM City's history is inseparable from the development of the SM retail and property businesses. Henry Sy, a Chinese-Filipino businessman whose family roots were in Fujian, began with a shoe store in Quiapo, Manila, in 1948. He later opened the first store using the Shoemart name along Carriedo in 1958. Shoemart initially concentrated on footwear, but the business gradually broadened its retail proposition. In 1972, the company converted Shoemart into a full-line department store, creating a foundation for the large-format retail model that later became central to SM malls. The department-store operation was renamed SM Department Store in 1975 and was subsequently branded as The SM Store. The next major expansion came in 1985, when the business entered supermarket and home-appliance retail and opened SM North EDSA in Quezon City. SM North EDSA is identified as the first SM supermall. Its format combined anchor retail with a wide range of specialty tenants and services, establishing the model that would be repeated in other Philippine cities. The SM City name became associated with many of these developments, while the broader network operated under the SM Supermalls identity and the property company SM Prime Holdings. Over time, SM malls evolved into multi-purpose commercial destinations rather than simple retail buildings. Department stores and supermarkets remained important anchors, with SM Store, SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, Savemore Market, and related formats appearing across the network. Shopping areas were supplemented by SM Food Court and food-hall concepts, including the more upscale Food on Four at SM Aura. SM Cyberzone developed as a dedicated technology and telecommunications retail area after originating as a lifestyle store at SM North EDSA's Carpark Building in 1998. Entertainment became another major part of the format. SM Bowling began at SM North EDSA in 1989. SM Skating opened its first rink at SM Megamall in 1992, later adding or relocating facilities at other malls. SM Cinema developed from the group's theater operations into a national cinema chain offering standard auditoriums, IMAX, Director's Club, large-screen formats, Centerstage, and SM Event Screen. The first cited Philippine IMAX venue opened at SM Mall of Asia in 2006, while the first Director's Club branch also opened there in 2006. SM Cinema later added a drive-in theater at SM City Pampanga in July 2020 and introduced the SM Event Screen at SM City Tanza in October 2022. Its first IMAX with Laser location in the Philippines opened at SM City Iloilo in November 2023. The mall network expanded outside the Philippines with SM City Xiamen in Fujian, which opened in 2001. The broader portfolio has consequently included Philippine and Chinese properties with different scales and local tenant mixes. Some developments emphasize regional retail, while others operate as major destination complexes with extensive leisure and event facilities. Malls also provide community functions: several sites contain Catholic chapels, separate churches, or spaces used for Masses and seasonal religious observances. This reflects the role of malls in Philippine urban life beyond commercial transactions. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted mall operations and sharply reduced traffic and revenue across the sector. The reference material reports that the company's revenue fell by nearly half in 2020, although it also reports that management said occupancy remained healthy. The period highlighted the dependence of the mall model on physical visits while also reinforcing the importance of flexible entertainment, food, services, and community uses. In 2022, SM Supermalls introduced a redesigned logo and visual system created with Pentagram. The design uses a custom typeface called Henry Sans, named in reference to Henry Sy, and a blue known as SM Electric Blue. The older logo continued to be used in some settings. Newer network additions cited in the source material include SM City Haicang in China, opened in October 2025, and SM City Zamboanga in the Philippines, opened in March 2026. SM City remains best understood as a mall brand and naming format within the continuing SM Supermalls network, rather than as a separately documented standalone corporation.

• 2023

  The first Philippine IMAX with Laser opened

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  SM Cinema opened its first IMAX with Laser auditorium at SM City Iloilo.

• 2022

  SM Supermalls launched a new visual identity

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  The network introduced a redesigned logo using Henry Sans and SM Electric Blue.

• 2020

  SM Cinema opened a drive-in theater

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  SM Cinema opened a drive-in theater at SM City Pampanga during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2006

  SM Cinema opened its first IMAX and Director's Club venues

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  SM Mall of Asia became the first cited location for both SM Cinema's Philippine IMAX auditorium and its Director's Club format.

• 2001

  SM expanded to China

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  SM City Xiamen opened in Fujian, marking the network's first cited Chinese mall.

• 1998

  The predecessor of SM Cyberzone appeared

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  A technology-oriented lifestyle store opened in SM North EDSA's Carpark Building and later developed into SM Cyberzone.

• 1992

  SM Skating opened its first rink

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  The first SM Skating rink opened at SM Megamall.

• 1989

  SM Bowling began operations

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  The first SM Bowling Center opened at SM North EDSA.

• 1985

  SM North EDSA opened

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  SM opened SM North EDSA in Quezon City, identified as its first supermall, and entered supermarket and home-appliance retail.

• 1972

  Shoemart became a full-line department store

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  The business expanded beyond footwear by converting its Shoemart operation into a full-line department store.

• 1958

  The Shoemart name was introduced

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  Sy opened the first store using the Shoemart name along Carriedo, Manila; the initials later became the SM identity.

• 1948

  Henry Sy opened his first shoe store

  [1]SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org

  Henry Sy opened a shoe store in Quiapo, Manila, establishing the retail origins of the business that later became associated with SM.

Mass-market, family-oriented shopping and entertainment centers combining retail anchors, dining, cinemas, services, technology retail, and recreation in accessible Philippine locations.

• Shopping malls

  SM City shopping malls

  SM City properties are broad-based shopping and lifestyle centers operated within the SM Supermalls network. They generally combine department-store or supermarket anchors with specialty retail, restaurants, food courts, services, entertainment, and community facilities. The exact tenant mix varies by location and mall scale.

• Cinema and entertainment

  SM Cinema

  SM Cinema is the network's movie-theater business. Its formats include conventional cinemas, IMAX, IMAX with Laser, Director's Club premium auditoriums, Large Screen Format, Centerstage venues, and SM Event Screen facilities for private gatherings and events.

• Department-store retail · 1972

  The SM Store

  The SM Store is the department-store anchor associated with many SM malls. Its history reaches back to the conversion of Shoemart into a full-line department store in 1972, followed by the SM Department Store name in 1975 and later rebranding as The SM Store.

• Supermarket and grocery retail · 1985

  SM Markets

  SM Markets is a collective retail grouping that includes SM Supermarket, SM Hypermarket, Savemore Market, and other supermarket formats. These stores commonly serve as mall anchors, while some operate as standalone or smaller-format outlets.

• Technology retail · 1998

  SM Cyberzone

  SM Cyberzone is a dedicated technology and telecommunications retail area inside SM malls. It brings together gadget retailers, electronics brands, telecommunications providers, and technology-related events, including gaming activities.

• Dining

  SM Food Court and Food Hall

  SM Food Court provides communal dining with a broad range of accessible food choices and is a common mall anchor. Selected properties use more upscale Food Hall concepts, including Food on Four at SM Aura.

• Recreation · 1992

  SM Skating

  SM Skating operates indoor ice rinks in selected SM malls. Its first rink opened at SM Megamall in 1992; later and current locations have included SM Mall of Asia and SM Seaside City.

• Recreation · 1989

  SM Bowling

  SM Bowling is the group's bowling-center format. The first branch opened at SM North EDSA in 1989, with additional locations appearing in several major Philippine malls. Some former bowling sites were converted into SM Game Park facilities.

• Family entertainment · 2021

  SM Game Park

  SM Game Park is a multi-activity recreation venue offering combinations of bowling, billiards, basketball, table tennis, archery, arcades, karaoke, gaming, and sports-bar functions. The available amenities vary by branch.

• 2023

  Upgraded cinema technology with IMAX with LaserOther

  Background

  SM Cinema continued differentiating its entertainment offer through premium audiovisual formats.

  Action taken

  The first Philippine IMAX with Laser auditorium opened at SM City Iloilo, alongside a stated program of further upgrades and new locations.

  Aftermath

  The rollout expanded premium large-format cinema beyond the original IMAX installations.

  Source

• 2022

  Refreshed the SM Supermalls brand identityOther

  Background

  The expanding mall network required a contemporary identity that could work across properties and associated services.

  Action taken

  SM Supermalls introduced a redesigned logo using the Henry Sans custom typeface and SM Electric Blue.

  Aftermath

  The new identity was used alongside the older logo, which remained visible in some contexts.

  Source

• 2020

  Added a drive-in cinema format during the pandemicOther

  Background

  COVID-19 restrictions disrupted conventional indoor cinema operations and reduced normal mall traffic.

  Action taken

  SM Cinema opened a drive-in theater at SM City Pampanga in July 2020.

  Aftermath

  The move provided an alternative form of film exhibition while indoor entertainment venues faced operating constraints.

  Source

• 2001

  Expanded the mall network into ChinaStrategy

  Background

  After building a substantial Philippine mall presence, SM pursued an overseas expansion strategy connected to its historical links with Fujian.

  Action taken

  SM City Xiamen opened in Fujian as the first cited Chinese location.

  Aftermath

  The wider SM mall portfolio came to include properties in both the Philippines and China.

  Source

• 1985

  Entered supermarket and home-appliance retail while opening the first supermallStrategy

  Background

  The business had expanded from shoes into department-store retail and sought additional growth categories and larger commercial formats.

  Action taken

  SM entered supermarket and home-appliance retail and opened SM North EDSA in Quezon City.

  Aftermath

  The move established the integrated mall model that later became the basis of the SM City and SM Supermalls network.

  Source

1. 1SM Supermallsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2SM Prime Holdingssmprime.com