Top executives from Ayala Corporation (AC) gathered on Monday to formally support the media presentation for Ayala Malls Arca South, a next-generation lifestyle destination in Taguig City.
During the event, management confirmed that the development will house the country’s first return branch of the wholesale giant Makro.
AC Chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and his brother, AC Director Fernando Zobel de Ayala, attended the unveiling of the mall’s expansion phase.
While the senior leaders did not deliver formal remarks, the chairman conducted an extensive walkthrough inspection of the estate’s newly completed sectors.
Welcoming members of the press was Mariana Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Land Senior Vice President and Head of Leasing and Hospitality, who outlined the community-centric blueprint guiding the 74-hectare Arca South estate development.
“We start with how people should live, with the rhythm of their day, the moments they look forward to, the small rituals that everyday made life a little bit better. Arca South is certainly designed with that in mind,” she noted.
A DRIFT FROM THE TRADITIONAL MALL CONCEPT
Ayala Malls Chief Operating Officer Paul Birkett highlighted that the development purposefully breaks away from traditional indoor retail layouts seen elsewhere in the country, prioritizing open-air corridors, independent merchants, and a town-center aesthetic.
“It looks nothing like an Ayala Mall. In terms of the materials we used, the finishes, the fact it’s open, architecture — it looks like nothing in the Philippines,” Birkett said. “It’s not all about filling it full of your big corporate boxes. We’ve got small retailers. People who are one-man operators, two-man operators.”
Despite the heavy emphasis on small and artisanal businesses, major commercial anchors are slated to arrive. Most notably, a 6,000-square-meter Makro supermarket is scheduled to open its doors in October of this year.
The launch follows a strategic partnership between Ayala and a Thai corporate entity to reintroduce the wholesale brand to the Philippine market.
BULLISH ON RETAIL RESILIENCY
The rollout of the Arca South property coincides with persistent global economic headwinds, yet Ayala leadership remains confident in local commercial traffic. The conglomerate is on track to deliver 200,000 square meters of new leasable space across the country this year.
“What we’ve seen over the last few weeks is a changing consumer behavior because these changes, the way the global economy impacts me, impacts you, impacts everybody here, but we’re still seeing visits and shopping malls grow year on year,” Birkett added.
Taguig City Mayor Lani Cayetano expressed gratitude for the conglomerate’s continued capital deployment in the area, emphasizing that the project will serve as an economic hub that generates jobs and supports micro-entrepreneurs.
“At the center of a rising business hub, this space becomes a crossroad. Professionals heading to work, entrepreneurs building their dreams,” Cayetano said.
Following a successful soft opening in February, Ayala Malls Arca South will continue to scale up its retail zone activations ahead of its formal grand opening in the fourth quarter of this year.