More shops, better gardens, and a transport hub

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Trinoma expands in its 19^th year as it adapts to changing customers

IN 2024, Ayala Malls announced a P30-billion investment for four flagship properties: Glorietta, Greenbelt, Trinoma, and Ayala Center Cebu. On May 16 this year, the 19^th anniversary of Trinoma’s opening in 2007, Ayala Malls announced what they have been doing in Trinoma.

The press conference was held at the newly refurbished Mindanao Lobby. Once a waiting area with a handful of shops, the mall added a dining and café mix featuring H Proper Coffee Roasters, Little Flour, Pizza Sisters, and Burnt Bean. Soon-to-open additions include Key Coffee, Chili’s, and Cibo.

Trinoma’s garden areas and al fresco dining spaces have been enhanced with added greenery, more open seating, and a play park for children.

As for the retail experience, the IKEA Plan and Order shop announced previously as well as the country’s largest Anko have been operational for quite some time now. More options set to be introduced across the mall include Love Bonito, Vivaia, JD Sports, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Wilson.

Trinoma is also expanding with The Exchange at Trinoma, a new retail and office wing that will introduce additional retail and dining options, including fashion store ABC-Mart Grand Stage’s first location in the North. The Exchange at Trinoma will also serve as a convenient connection point for commuters. This expansion is linked to Trinoma’s direct integration with the Unified Grand Central Station, making it the only mall in Quezon City with direct access to the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), MRT-7, and Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) lines, alongside UV Express, bus terminals, and point-to-point services.

“The mall is 99.9% finished,” said Paul Birkett, chief operating officer of Ayala Malls in an interview with ����ý. “The expansion opens in September. I think it’s September this year for the expansion.

“Bear in mind that’s the connection between the two MRTs and the LRT. The Unified Grand Central Station, the common shared station, opens with DOTr (Department of Transportation), I think late 2027,” he added. “We’ve built the terminal, but we’ve got to wait for whoever’s building the railways lines; otherwise, we’ve got an empty station.”

After the press conference, members of the media were led up to the new activity center, boasting of a refresh and a new LED screen. The LED screen, lit up with a video of candles, served as a backdrop for a performance by singer KZ Tandingan.

ENERGY CRISIS CONCERNS
Mr. Birkett discussed mall operations in context of the energy crisis caused by the US-Iran conflict in the Middle East. “We were asked by the Philippine Retail Association along with all the major mall operators to reduce our opening hours,” he said in a Q&A. “We didn’t reduce them to quite the amount that they asked, but we made a reduction so that people have to run their shops for less time.”

“Most of our electricity charges are on fixed contracts; as well, cooling contracts are fixed. We try not to impact tenants in that way,” he said. He did note, “We’ve made sure that the air conditioning in here is maybe not as cold as it used to be, but still comfortable.”

The way to save energy isn’t in installing new features, but reducing usage of what is already there, he explained. “Does this need to be on?” he said, recalling driving by one of the conglomerate’s malls at 1 a.m. and noticing the lights were on in the mostly empty carpark. “It’s not about putting in energy-efficient stuff. It’s just about turning the bloomin’ lights off when you don’t need them.”

They have other sustainability commitments such as working on projects with recycled steel, using LED lights, and using wood from FSC sources. “We’d already made our plans. We didn’t need a crisis for us to say there’s a moral and social responsibility that we need to become more sustainable.”

CHANGING CUSTOMERS
As for the mall remodeling projects, he places these in the context of the changing needs of the consumer. “Twenty years ago, people accepted what was given to them… that’s not what the customer these days is about. (They’re) demanding,” he said.

“You’ve probably seen more stuff in real life or on Facebook in the last 20 years. The world has become so much smaller. [Customers] want the latest brands from Korea and Japan,” he said in an interview with ����ý. “It was like a military mission: you come in, you buy what you want, and you go home,” he said about the former behavior of their customers. “Now we want you to stay for two, three, four, five hours. The longer, the better,” he said.

“The way people use malls has totally changed,” he said. “They want experience,” he said. “What we’re looking into here is the emotional context.

“Maybe part of our role as curators of shopping malls is to educate people. This is what good looks like: lean into it, and love it.” — Joseph L. Garcia