SM City Cabanatuan
A large SM Supermall serving Cabanatuan City and the wider Nueva Ecija and Central Luzon markets in the Philippines.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
SM City Cabanatuan is a large shopping and entertainment complex in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, Philippines. It is owned by SM Prime Holdings and operated within the SM Supermalls network, the retail-property arm associated with the SM Group. The mall stands along Maharlika Highway, also known as the Pan-Philippine Highway, in Barangay Hermogenes Concepcion. Its site is also adjacent to a portion of the Emilio Vergara Highway, giving the development access to major road routes serving Cabanatuan and surrounding communities. The project followed a lengthy site-selection and negotiation process. The SM Group had reportedly considered establishing a major mall in Cabanatuan as early as 2002, but the project took roughly a decade to progress. In 2009, an approximately 8.5-hectare commercial site along the national highway became available, and the company eventually pursued that location. Construction was planned for 2012 but began around 2013. SM City Cabanatuan opened to the public on October 9, 2015, adding a large regional shopping destination to a city that already had other retail facilities, including Megacenter, which was later acquired by SM Supermalls. The mall has a reported gross floor area of approximately 154,020 square metres. At the time of its opening, it was described as the largest mall in North Luzon outside Metro Manila. It remains one of the largest SM malls in Luzon outside the Greater Manila Area and is among the major retail complexes in Central Luzon, although later expansions at other SM properties changed its relative ranking. The complex is designed as a broad-based lifestyle destination rather than solely as a conventional retail centre. Its tenant mix includes department-store, grocery, hardware, appliance, pharmacy, beauty, fashion, food, and service offerings. Major anchors and named tenants associated with the mall include The SM Store, SM Supermarket, Ace Hardware, SM Appliance Center, Watsons, The Body Shop, and Uniqlo, alongside numerous local and international brands. These offerings position the property as a one-stop destination for everyday household purchases, consumer electronics, fashion, personal care, dining, and leisure. The mall also contains six cinemas with a combined seating capacity reported at 1,807. Cinema 4 is a large-format auditorium equipped for 3D films and uses stadium-style seating, with capacity for as many as 507 guests. Outdoor and semi-outdoor amenities are an important part of the complex. SM City Cabanatuan includes two landscaped areas identified as the Garden Park and the Roof Park. The Garden Park provides a covered elevated garden environment and opened alongside the mall. The fourth-level Roof Park includes an indoor fountain, open play areas, pet areas, and tenant spaces. These facilities broaden the mall's role from a shopping venue into a community-oriented recreation and meeting destination. In 2017, rooftop solar installations were added as part of an SM mall sustainability initiative involving SM City Cabanatuan, SM City Cauayan, and SM City Iloilo. The combined reported capacity for the installations across those properties was 8.9 megawatts. The mall has also been associated with plans for SMX Cabanatuan, a proposed convention and events venue on the fourth floor under SM Hotels & Conventions Corporation. The planned facility was intended for trade events, industry conventions, corporate functions, and exhibitions, with reported projected capacity in the range of 4,000 to 8,000 people, although the available reference material does not establish a completed opening date. SM City Cabanatuan therefore combines regional retail, dining, cinema entertainment, landscaped public areas, and planned convention infrastructure. Its location on major transport corridors and its scale make it a significant commercial property for Cabanatuan City and the broader Nueva Ecija market.
History
SM City Cabanatuan developed from SM Group efforts to establish a major shopping mall in Cabanatuan City. The group had reportedly been considering a Cabanatuan project since 2002. Progress was slow, with negotiations continuing for approximately ten years. Reference material describes differing accounts concerning whether local opposition affected the project: reports attributed delays to resistance from existing mall operators, while SM Prime executive Jeffrey Lim denied that opposition was the reason. The company ultimately moved toward an approximately 8.5-hectare commercial property along the national highway in Barangay Hermogenes Concepcion. That site became available in 2009 and offered direct access to Maharlika Highway, one of the principal transport corridors through the area. Construction had initially been expected to begin in 2012, but work commenced around 2013. The completed property opened to the public on October 9, 2015. It became the second SM Supermall serving Cabanatuan and Nueva Ecija after SM Supermalls' acquisition of Megacenter, and it was designed at a substantially larger regional scale. With a reported gross floor area of approximately 154,020 square metres, the mall was described at opening as the largest mall in North Luzon outside Metro Manila. It was subsequently regarded as one of the largest SM malls in Luzon outside the Greater Manila Area and one of the leading retail complexes in Central Luzon, although expansions at SM City Baguio and SM City Clark later altered those comparisons. The mall's original operating concept combined a broad retail tenant mix with entertainment and landscaped public areas. The SM Store and SM Supermarket served as principal anchors, joined by Ace Hardware, SM Appliance Center, Watsons, The Body Shop, Uniqlo, and other local and international tenants. Six cinemas were included, with reported total seating of 1,807. One auditorium, Cinema 4, was designed as a large-format venue capable of showing 3D films and using stadium-style seating for as many as 507 guests. SM City Cabanatuan also incorporated two distinctive open or semi-open amenity areas. The Garden Park, a covered elevated garden, opened with the mall. The Roof Park on the fourth level included an indoor fountain, playgrounds, pet areas, and tenant spaces. These features reflected the SM Supermall model of combining shopping with recreation, family activities, and informal public gathering space. In 2017, rooftop solar panels were installed at SM City Cabanatuan in a program that also covered SM City Cauayan and SM City Iloilo. The combined reported generation capacity for the three properties was 8.9 megawatts. The project connected the mall to SM's broader efforts to incorporate renewable-energy systems into selected large commercial properties. A further planned expansion of the mall's non-retail role was SMX Cabanatuan, a proposed venue under SM Hotels & Conventions Corporation. The planned facility was to occupy space on the fourth floor and serve trade events, industry conventions, corporate functions, and international exhibitions. Reference material suggested a potential capacity of approximately 4,000 to 8,000 people, but does not establish that the venue had opened or provide a confirmed completion date. The available material contains no documented ownership change away from SM Prime Holdings, no confirmed publicly traded ticker for the mall itself, and no substantiated scandals or litigation specific to the property. Its documented development story is primarily one of delayed regional expansion, large-scale mall opening, renewable-energy installation, and planned diversification into convention and events infrastructure.
- 2017
Rooftop solar installation
[1]Solar panels were installed at the mall as part of a program shared with SM City Cauayan and SM City Iloilo, with a combined reported capacity of 8.9 megawatts.
- 2015
Public opening
[1]SM City Cabanatuan opened to the public on October 9, 2015.
- 2013
Construction begins
[1]Construction of the mall commenced around 2013 after earlier plans had targeted a 2012 start.
- 2009
Commercial site becomes available
[1]An approximately 8.5-hectare commercial site along the national highway in Barangay Hermogenes Concepcion became available for the project.
- 2002
SM Group begins pursuing a Cabanatuan mall concept
[1]The SM Group was reportedly considering the establishment of an SM City mall in Cabanatuan as early as 2002.
Products and positioning
A large regional SM Supermall positioned as a comprehensive shopping, dining, entertainment, and community destination for Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija, and nearby Central Luzon markets.
department store · 2015
The SM Store
The SM Store is a principal anchor at SM City Cabanatuan, providing department-store merchandise across categories such as apparel, footwear, household goods, accessories, and general consumer products.
supermarket · 2015
SM Supermarket
SM Supermarket supplies groceries, food, beverages, household necessities, and other everyday consumables. Its presence supports the mall's role as a recurring shopping destination for residents of Cabanatuan and nearby communities.
specialty retail · 2015
Retail and specialty stores
The mall's specialty-retail mix includes named tenants such as Ace Hardware, SM Appliance Center, Watsons, The Body Shop, and Uniqlo, together with numerous other local and international stores. The combined offer covers home improvement, appliances, pharmacy, personal care, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle purchases.
cinema entertainment · 2015
SM City Cabanatuan Cinemas
The mall includes six cinemas with reported combined seating capacity of 1,807. Cinema 4 is a large-format auditorium designed for 3D presentations, with stadium-style seating and capacity for up to 507 guests.
leisure and public amenity · 2015
Garden Park and Roof Park
The Garden Park and fourth-level Roof Park provide landscaped and recreational spaces within the mall. Features described for the Roof Park include an indoor fountain, open playgrounds, pet areas, and tenant spaces, while the Garden Park offers a covered elevated garden setting.
convention and events venue
SMX Cabanatuan
SMX Cabanatuan was planned as a fourth-floor venue for trade events, industry conventions, corporate functions, and exhibitions under SM Hotels & Conventions Corporation. Available material describes it as under construction or planned and does not confirm a completed opening.
Brand decisions
2017
Renewable-energy installationOtherBackground
SM incorporated rooftop solar systems at selected malls as part of a broader renewable-energy initiative.
Action taken
Solar panels were installed at SM City Cabanatuan alongside installations at SM City Cauayan and SM City Iloilo.
Aftermath
The combined reported capacity across the three malls reached 8.9 megawatts, although the available material does not provide a separate capacity for Cabanatuan.
2009
Relocation to the Barangay Hermogenes Concepcion siteStrategyBackground
After years of pursuing a Cabanatuan project, SM Group selected an approximately 8.5-hectare commercial property along the national highway that had become available in 2009.
Action taken
The group moved the planned mall development to the site along Maharlika Highway in Barangay Hermogenes Concepcion.
Aftermath
The location became the site of SM City Cabanatuan, which opened in 2015 and gained direct access to major roads serving the city and surrounding region.
- Plan for SMX CabanatuanStrategy
Background
The mall was planned to expand beyond retail by adding a venue for trade events, conventions, corporate functions, and exhibitions.
Action taken
SM Hotels & Conventions Corporation associated a proposed SMX Cabanatuan facility with the mall's fourth floor.
Aftermath
The reference material indicates a proposed capacity of approximately 4,000 to 8,000 people but does not confirm completion or an opening date.
Recent events
- 2017
Solar installations added to SM City Cabanatuan[1]
Other
Rooftop solar panels were installed at SM City Cabanatuan as part of a wider solar-power initiative also involving SM City Cauayan and SM City Iloilo. The combined reported capacity across the three malls was 8.9 megawatts.
- 2015
SM City Cabanatuan opens to the public[1]
Other · Product launch
SM City Cabanatuan opened on October 9, 2015, expanding the SM Supermalls network into a major retail location in Cabanatuan City and Nueva Ecija.
SMX Cabanatuan planned as a convention and events venue[1]
Other
SM Hotels & Conventions Corporation was associated with plans for a private events venue on the mall's fourth floor for trade events, conventions, corporate functions, and exhibitions. The available reference does not confirm an opening date.
Sources1 sources
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