Mall to offer ferry service

• Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/business/2016/10/28/mall-offer-ferry-service-506096
• Sunday, October 30, 2016

By Katlene O. Cacho

TO boost trade and tourism in Mactan, Ozamiz-based mall developer Geege Central Mall Inc. (GCMI) is connecting its six-level mixed-used Island Central Mactan to the Mactan Wharf.

It will be the first mall in the country to incorporate a ferry service with a boardwalk, officials said yesterday.

The company has allocated P1 billion for the development of the mall and P1.5 billion for the development of the Mactan Wharf, which will also have themed developments and a hotel, according to Eugene Erik Lim, GMCI vice president and chief operating officer.

Lim said they target to soft-launch the first two floors of the mall before the end of the year, with roughly 20 to 30 tenants.

It also plans to soft-launch the ferry service next month. Eugene Erik said the company has inked a partnership with Ocean Jet to provide the ferry service from Pier 1 to the Mactan Wharf and vice versa.

“This development is a lifestyle destination mall,” said Edwin Lim, GCMI president and chief executive officer.

He noted that the project, which is situated along the ML Quezon National Highway, is expected to boost the business and tourism activities in the area.

The company is banking on the heavy foot traffic in Mactan Island, being the home of the three economic zones, high-end resorts and the international airport.

GCMI is the developer of the 40-year-old Geege Mall in Ozamis City, Misamis Occidental. Island Central Mactan is the company’s second mall.

The mall’s footprint stands at 8,500 square meters (sq.m), with a gross leasable area of 18,000 sq.m. At present, the mall is already 80 percent leased-out.

Robinsons Supermarket is the mall’s anchor tenant.

The ground floor will house quick service restaurants and the supermarket, among other basic services, while the second level will feature tenants like coffee shops, footwear and apparel. The third level of the mall will house the BPO component, while the fourth floor will house a sky bar and restaurants, traveler’s lounge, and function rooms that can accommodate up to 600 people.

The completion of the mall is set in 2017.

The two-hectare Mactan Wharf, on the other hand, has a development footprint of 20,000 sq.m. It will have a docking area that can accommodate up to eight ferry shuttles. It is set for completion next year.

According to Eugene Erik, the ferry shuttle service is seen to help decongest the traffic going to Mactan Island as it provides alternative route to people working in economic zones and tourists. Travel time going to the mall may take up to 30 minutes.

He added that the mall will also be linked to the Mactan International Airport through a free point-to-point bus transfer.

After Island Central Mactan, the company will be building another community mall in the south of Cebu.

“We are currently doing landbanking now,” said Eugene Erik.

Two years ago, the company disclosed its plan to build five premium community malls in Cebu in the next five years, on the back of the province’s booming retail industry.

“We are quite excited to be expanding our business in Cebu. We are confident to grow here given the vibrant retail landscape in Cebu complemented by our 40-year expertise in mall business. We’ve known that knowing the market, having a good product mix and a good customer service will make us prosper here,” said Edwin in previous interviews.