SM Supermalls, the retail arm of SM Investments Corp., is expanding its use of malls as venues for community, environmental, cultural and accessibility programs, going beyond their traditional role as shopping destinations.
SM Supermalls President Steven Tan said the company’s community initiatives were designed around how people actually use its malls, from providing spaces for reading to promoting local artists and improving accessibility.
“People experience a mall through the things they do there, not through what we say about it,” he said.
Among the initiatives cited by the company were the SM Cares Book Nook, which provides spaces in malls for people to read and share books; SM Cares: A Mall for All, which focuses on diversity and inclusion; and the SM Cares Coastal Cleanup initiative.
SM Supermalls also runs the SM Green Movement, while SM Mindanao Art provides Mindanaoan artists and their work with a wider public audience.
Other programs include the Philippine International Pyromusical Competition, Find Your SM campaign and the Empowering Communities campaign.
The initiatives were recognized at the 2026 International Business Awards, where the SM Group received 12 awards. The recognition covered programs of SM Supermalls as well as reporting and sustainability initiatives of SM Investments.
SM Investments received gold awards for its 2025 Integrated Report in the Best Annual Report (Publicly Held Corporations) category and for Conglomerates (Large). Its 2025 Sustainability Report and the SM Sustainability School received bronze awards.
DyBuncio said clear reporting “gives investors and other stakeholders a better view of how we make decisions, manage the business and plan for the long term.”
The International Business Awards said more than 300 business professionals participated in two months of judging, with winners determined based on their average scores.
SMIC is the holding company of the SM Group, with businesses spanning retail, banking and property. Its portfolio includes SM Prime Holdings Inc., BDO Unibank Inc. and China Banking Corp.
SMIC shares on Thursday closed up P11.00, or 1.94 percent, at P579.00 each.
