SM Supermalls launches The SM StartUp Package for
aspiring Filipino entrepreneurs
100 Small business owners invited to set up
shop in SM malls
It has been almost two years since the
pandemic brought Filipino life and many livelihoods to a screeching halt.
According to a 2020 Asian Development Bank (ADB) study of 1,804 Philippine
MSMEs, 70.6% were forced to temporarily close with 66.2% reported to have
temporary staff cuts during the height of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Bucking these statistics and the odds
created by the changes in the landscape, the enterprising Filipino found many
opportunities in online businesses, with the Department of Trade and Industry
(DTI) recording over 88,000 new e-commerce registrations at the end of 2020.
This figure is projected to be a million e-commerce enterprises by 2022 (from
500,000 in 2020). By taking advantage of the online space, MSME owners have
become unsung heroes of the economy, all the while providing for their families
and making their business dreams a reality.
SM Supermalls very well understands the
potential of each Filipino to be successful business owners because of their
founder, the late Mr. Henry Sy’s own inspiring story. Sy, fondly called
“Tatang” in SM, started out as a small business owner with his first footwear
shop ShoeMart.
It is said that because of this, it is in
SM’s DNA to enable and inspire small businesses like the one it once was. This October
15, not coincidentally Tatang’s birthday, SM launched The SM StartUp Package,
which aims to provide small online businesses the valuable support they need so
they can set up their own shop in an SM mall. This is available to the
first 100 digital-based MSME owners who currently don’t have a shop inside SM
or any other physical store in general.
The package offers
features such as start-up friendly rental rates and use of kiosks or carts free
of charge; marketing assistance to give the brand free exposure in SM online
assets and ad spaces inside malls; financial assistance with BDO; and
mentorship from SM experts on operations and marketing.
The Start Up Markets, as they will be
called, will be situated in prime mall locations within 13 regional and premier
malls in major cities: SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM
Southmall, SM Pampanga, SM Clark, SM Grand Central, SM Sta. Rosa, SM City Cebu,
SM Iloilo, SM Bacolod, SM CDO Downtown Premier, and SM Lanang Premier.
"We created The SM StartUp Package
because we saw how Filipinos persevered in the past year. Very much true to the
spirit of Henry Sy, who always said he worked harder during bad times, many MSMEs did not let the pandemic stop them
from providing good service and products -- even from their own homes. We want
to give them a chance to further grow their businesses and brands, and enable
them to start their own SM shops which they can one day grow into business
empires, just like our founder once did.,” said SM Supermalls President Steven
T. Tan.
Following Tatang’s
legacy
The late founder Mr. Henry Sy is also proof
of an entrepreneur’s resilience and hard work. After arriving in the
Philippines at just 12 years old from China, he helped sell products in his
father’s retail store. When he saved enough money, he was able to open his
first business in 1958: a footwear shop called ShoeMart, which would later
become the foundation for today’s 77 SM Supermalls.
The success of the mall didn’t come without
challenges. A notable one was when Mr. Sy opened SM Megamall in Edsa in 1985
during a turbulent time in the Philippines. Instead of letting the political
and economic climate discourage him, it pushed him to work harder to overcome
the crisis. This disposition would carry over in the next few decades and would
inspire a new generation of MSME owners to look for opportunities even during
adversity.
This is evident in
the stories of entrepreneurs like Chizmozza founder Hannah Ramos, who sold her
own mozzarella recipe online before opening her food cart at SM, Ian Darcy, who
started his namesake fragrance brand after being forced to resign from his
marketing job; and Oishii Maki chef Ramon Molina, who started a sushi and maki
business at SM after working as an Overseas Filipino as a Japanese Chef in
5-star hotels.
“I took a chance to grow Chizmozza from an
online store to having one humble food cart in SM North Edsa back in 2016. Now
Chizmozza has 21 SM branches. They saw the potential of our unique cheese
products and through our mutual hard work and perseverance, we grew, even
through the pandemic.” Hannah shared
These are just some of the stories behind
successful MSME owners and how they were able to succeed, when empowered with
the right resources. The SM StartUp Package will allow more people to level up
their online start-up, inspiring them to follow in the footsteps of “Tatang” so
they can take more confident steps even during these uncertain times.
During the virtual launch of the SM StartUp
Package hosted by Sam Yg last Oct 15, SM Supermalls President Mr. Steven Tan
was joined by three young successful MSMEs; Nina Cabrera from Colourette, Patty
Ang from Patton, and Jerald Sze from 365 Designs Retailing, who talked about
how their business began online and how they successfully grew it at SM
Supermalls.
Other notable guests during the launch
included Ms. Jean Pacheco, Assistant Secretary of DTI, and the SM Super Team
composed of BDO Network Bank’s SVP and MSME Business Head Karen Cua, BDO
Acquiring FVP Merchant Partnerships and Retail Sales Head Bob Tolentino, SM
Supermalls VP for Corporate Marketing, Grace F. Magno, and AVP for Leasing
Strategy and Operations, Gina T. Katigbak, who discussed details of the SM
StartUp Package.
For more information, visit www.smsupermalls.com or follow
@smsupermalls on all social media accounts to find out how to sign up for The
SM StartUp Package.
About SM Supermalls
Starting
as a humble shoe store in Manila established by its founder Henry Sy Sr. in
1958, SM has grown into the Philippines’ biggest chain of shopping malls. With
its 74 malls in the Philippines, and 7 in China, SM Supermalls is now home to
over 20,000 tenants, most of which carry the world’s best loved brands. It is
the retail destination for family fun experiences and events.
SM
Supermalls is owned by SM Prime Holdings, Inc., a publicly-listed company and
is one of the largest integrated property developers in Southeast Asia.
Comments
Post a Comment