The Curious Mom

Nationwide malls drive MSME upskilling, growth, and sustainable enterprise

Feb 8, 2026

Under the SM for MSMEs program, MSME Hub owners Alamanga and Rainbow Scoops bring locally made flavors and proudly Filipino products closer to the community—proof that when small businesses are given the right platform, they grow and thrive.

Building on strong MSME momentum in 2025, SM Supermalls is entering 2026 with a renewed and sharped focus on empowering Filipino entrepreneurs, leveraging its nationwide mall network to create tangible growth opportunities for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Through its SM for MSMEs program, SM Supermalls empowered 920 new MSMEs and start-ups in 2025, with nearly 10% successfully transitioning into regular mall tenants through kiosks, counters, or in-line stores nationwide. Since its enhanced rollout in March 2024, the program has supported 2,288 unique MSMEs, providing real-world platforms where entrepreneurs can test, refine, and scale their businesses.

In 2025 alone, 28,761 MSME booth activations were mounted nationwide, driven by a growing consumer demand for locally made, experience-led products across food and beverage, beauty, wellness, and lifestyle categories.

Honoring MSME Excellence

The annual SM for MSMEs Wall of Champions recognized outstanding MSME awardees and finalists whose businesses demonstrated exemplified resilience, innovation, and community impact—serving as a tribute to Filipino entrepreneurship and its vital role in nation-building.

“The private sector has a role to play in enabling the future growth of the MSME sector,” said Steven Tan, President of SM Supermalls. “Supporting the grassroots economy is a long-term commitment we intend to uphold.”

Nation-Building Through Partnerships

From learning summits and curated markets to large scale trade fairs, SM Supermalls worked closely with key partners including the Department of Trade and Industry, Go Negosyo, media organizations, trade fair organizers, and MSME exhibitors to deliver meaningful, measurable outcomes for entrepreneurs nationwide.

According to the Department of Trade and Industry, MSMEs account for 99.63% of businesses and 66.58% of total employment in the Philippines, underscoring their critical role as the backbone of the national economy.

Major 2025 highlights included the DTI National Food Fair, Negros Trade Fair, Women Strong Trade Fair by WomenBizPH, VIYLine MSME Caravan, and the Go Negosyo MSME Summit 2025, which energized the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall with mentorship sessions and business insights, highlighted by Francis Kong’s talk, “Now and Next: The Trends in Business for MSMEs.”

Expanding Opportunities Beyond Metro Manila

Leveraging its nationwide footprint, SM Supermalls expanded regional trade fairs and themed marketplaces across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, bringing high-visibility platforms closer to local communities and advancing more inclusive, region-led growth.

Kicking Off 2026 With Strong MSME Partnerships

To start 2026, SM Supermalls—together with government agencies, media partners, and trade fair organizers, will host and support a new slate of MSM focused events.

As SM Supermalls moves into 2026, SM for MSMEs continues to evolve as a scalable growth platform—transforming participation into opportunity, and opportunity into sustainable enterprise for Filipino entrepreneurs nationwide.

Largest number of pickleball courts at 61 across 25 properties by end of 2025

Through the SM Sports and Lifestyle Center (SLC), SM expands its permanent pickleball court locations to SM Center Shaw and SM Center Muntinlupa, giving the all-inclusive sport, its athletes, and enthusiasts even more venues for their next friendly or competitive matches. Because of this, SM closed 2025 with 61 court locations across the Philippines with 37 total permanent courts—the largest among mall operators.

SM empowers the thriving local pickleball scene with maxed-out sports experiences for picklers and the active lifestyle community nationwide. Through its launch of SM Active Hub, the country's largest sports playground, partnered with SM SLC's mission of revolutionizing fitness and sports engagement in the country, it encourages tournament play, friendly competition, and fun bonding moments.

"SM launched SM Active Hub in March last year with the strong intention of giving athletes, sports enthusiasts, and even casual players alike high-quality and easily accessible spaces that can house their best sports experiences—whether that's lighthearted fun or high adrenaline competition," said Joaquin San Agustin, SM Supermalls Executive Vice President for Marketing. "Closing 2025 with our largest pickleball court locations while adding two new permanent courts in SM Center Shaw and SM Center Muntinlupa in Metro Manila is evidence that sports remains not just a strong interest, but a new way life for our customers."

Opened in partnership with Paloo, the pickleball court locations of SM Center Shaw and SM Center Muntinlupa boast three outdoor and four indoor permanent courts respectively, both intuitively designed to accommodate experienced and novice players, with accessible rates.

The Home of Elevated Sports Experiences

Through Active Hub, SM gave local picklers the ultimate spot to maximize movement and active lifestyles, meeting the athletic appetite of customers through its modular court approach. With the integration of the SM Malls Online app, players can easily sign up to be part of the community, discover upcoming events, and gain exclusive access to the best deals that maximize experiences they'll love.

"On top of the permanent courts, we also have 24 semi-permanent courts all over the country to accommodate the maximum amount of activity our customers seek,” said San Agustin.

This holistic approach has made SM the favorite go-to pickleball hangout place for customers, almost doubling the 44 courts initially constructed through the rise of interest in the sport. Also following strong demand and fully booked courts until the end of 2025, SM's upcoming thrust focuses on building more permanent courts to increase its inventory to close to 80 in 2026.

"The high volume of bookings across all our courts hints that pickleball isn't an exclusive sport—anyone can play. And because it is inclusive and easy to learn, SM saw this as an opportunity to naturally drive active lifestyles for our customers," said San Agustin.

A Favorite for Maxed-out pickleball gatherings

Active Hub caters to a wide group of picklers—from competitive enthusiasts to casual first timers looking to play or find a new and fun bonding activity with their friends, every kind of player can find an event that encourages them to keep playing.

Out-of-the-box creative concepts like the Glow Ball pickleball event giving the game a fun and exciting glow in the dark twist, while enrichment activities such as free coached Pickleball Clinics encouraged newbies and young players to try the sport out.

Active Hub is also home of the major competition SM Pickleball Super Series in partnership with Toby's Sports running alongside local tournaments and events.

It initiated the Pickleball Power Tour with Filipino-American, world-ranked pro-athlete Lauren Mercado igniting passion for the sport among the next generation of players. The event was such a massive hit that SM will be hosting a second iteration within the first half of 2026.

"This is a testament to SM's desire of hosting the most creative and commercially attuned sports events that our customers can always look forward to. As long as the Filipino desire for community and activity remains ablaze, SM is determined to continually give that passion for sports a home," said San Agustin.

SM Prime’s Green Movement maximizes scalable sustainability through SM Supermalls

Since its launch the SM Green Movement has demonstrated the power of strategic, collective action in effectively tackling environmental challenges to achieve one goal--the protection and preservation of the planet's resources for present and future generations.

Even before the industry mandate on sustainability, SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SM Prime) recognized that meaningful sustainability can only be achieved through long-term, consistent, community driven efforts. This understanding guided the development of programs designed to evolve alongside stakeholder priorities and shareholder responsibilities.

Leveraging on the scale and reach of its nationwide network of supermalls, SM Prime embedded sustainability efforts within malls operations, actively engaging customers, tenants and communities in its environmental journey.

This "micro to macro" approach strengthened the SM Green Movement unifying efforts under a practical and scalable framework built on three core pillars of environmental action: waste management, water stewardship, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

“What began as simple actions—reducing waste, conserving water, and adopting cleaner energy—has grown into an interconnected ecosystem involving partners, tenants, employees, and millions of mallgoers nationwide,” said Joaquin San Agustin, SM Supermalls Executive Vice President for Marketing. “By turning everyday habits into systemic results, the SM Green Movement extends beyond corporate spaces and into the heart of Filipino communities.”

Focusing on three core pillars: Water, Waste, and Energy

At the core of the waste pillar, SM works closely with recycling partners and SM GUUN — the circularity platform of the SM Green Movement — to divert paper, plastics, multi-layer packaging, compostables, and other materials away from landfills and back into productive use.

SM Prime’s water stewardship is anchored in long-term water management systems and conservation practices that promote a water-resilient future. SM Supermalls pioneered water recycling in retail spaces, with early sewage treatment plants and low-flow fixtures that reduced consumption across properties.

Energy management is another cornerstone of the SM Green Movement where efficiency and renewable generation converge to reduce environmental impact while enhancing comfort and reliability in SM properties. The 100MWp celebrations in SM City North Edsa are a milestone of the program’s expansion of solar generation capacity across malls nationwide — a visible demonstration of how clean energy supports both climate action and everyday mall experiences.

Shared Responsibility, Lasting Impact

What unites these three pillars is the belief that sustainability thrives when communities are invited into the conversation and, when scaled collectively, can reshape systems. For SM Prime, sustainability is not just a corporate mandate but a shared journey that requires awareness, participation, and collective action.

With measurable progress, growing partnerships, and visible results across waste, water, and energy portfolios, the SM Green Movement is laying the foundation for lasting change, one where sustainability becomes part of everyday life for Filipinos and communities across the archipelago.

“The SM Green Movement reflects our vision to scale simple, everyday acts into systemic impact,” said San Agustin. “By advancing energy, water, and waste initiatives together in our malls, we safeguard communities and build a more sustainable future.”

Cyberzone Made E-Waste Disposal Easy: 14,000+ kg Collected Through Strategic Drop-off Points

Truly embodying the Cyberzone #TechWeLikeZoneWeLove promise, we’re continuing to make responsible tech disposal easy and accessible, right where people already are: inside SM Supermalls.

Cyberzone, in partnership with SM Cares, helps turn e-waste disposal into a simple, safer habit through dedicated drop-off points rolled out nationwide in partnership with Smart Communications and PLDT Home, beginning in June 2024.

Across participating SM Supermalls, these collection bins give mallgoers a clear, accessible place to drop off old gadgets and broken electronics that are in need of proper disposal. Instead of ending up in drawers or landfills, e-waste can be responsibly handled through a system designed for everyday convenience and better environmental discipline.

14,327 kg Properly Collected and Segregated

Since the partnership began, Cyberzone’s E-Waste Collection Drop Boxes have helped gather 14,327 kg of electronic waste across 89 SM Supermalls, 69 of which are located in the Cyberzone area. This ensures materials are properly collected and segregated for responsible handling. Serving as a reflection on the growing community habit made easier through clear drop-off points and a consistent, accessible mall experience.

“We take pride in being the go-to tech destination for shoppers,” said Patrick Pacla, Vice President for Cyberzone Operations and Marketing at SM Supermalls. “But as gadgets evolve, so does the need to dispose of old electronics responsibly. Everyone has a role to play, and Cyberzone is committed to making it simpler and safer to do the right thing, so tech does not end up harming the planet.”

Curious about what happens to your broken and old devices after dropping them in e-waste collection bins at Cyberzone and SM Supermalls? Watch this video:

https://youtu.be/jSsJkP8rGMQ?si=6a4tu1LL2oQBFWBY

Sustainability Built to Grow Through Partnerships

Our dedication to responsible tech consumption is built for the long run. Cyberzone and SM Cares, together with Smart Communications and PLDT Home, will continue expanding e-waste collection bins as new malls open. Today, drop-off points are available in Cyberzone branches and SM Supermalls, helping move communities closer to an #SMWasteFreeFuture.

Celebrate love and luck this Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day

Feb 7, 2026

This February, SM Supermalls brings together two of the most joyful occasions of the season—Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day—for a month-long celebration that’s all about love, luck, and unforgettable experiences. Welcome the Year of the Horse with festive finds, romantic moments, and prosperity-filled activities designed to make every visit extra meaningful!

Discover love and luck at the Lucky Feels Bazaar (February 1–28)

Step into the heart of the celebration at the Lucky Feels Bazaar, a unified Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day pop-up bazaar that blends romance and prosperity in one exciting space.

Whether you are looking for giftables perfect for expressing love or just exploring lucky charms, trinkets, and prosperity-themed finds to attract good fortune for the year ahead, this is where heartfelt gestures meet auspicious beginnings—all in one stroll!

Step into festive photo-worthy Lucky Feels installations (February 1-28)

Get into the celebration the moment you arrive as SM Supermalls transforms with vibrant Lucky Feels installations. Enjoy romantic Valentine’s spots (February 1–15) early in the month, then watch the mall shift into bold and joyful Chinese New Year themes (February 16–28) as the celebration continues. Walk through eye-catching entrance arches, spot playful entrance stickers, admire festive hanging decorations, and strike a pose at curated photo spots.

Shop, snack, and play at Bites and Buys (February 1–28)

Experience a marketplace that’s anything but ordinary at Bites and Buys. This lively space brings together artisanal crafts, cutesy collectibles, and yummy treats loved by Gen Zs and trend hunters alike. Join the fun by trying the claw machines and score a chance to win your zodiac bestie—because luck should always come with a little play.

Capture and Snap the Lucky Feels (February 1–28)

Don’t miss the Snap the Lucky Feels photo spot, featuring a vibrant money tree adorned with ang paos, beautifully paired with a Valentine’s Day-inspired setup! It’s the perfect backdrop to capture moments of love, luck, and festive joy—ready for sharing with friends and family.

Taste and trend with #CNYMustTry (February 16–28)

From tikoy to TikTok, celebrate Chinese New Year the modern way with #CNYMustTry. Indulge in classics such as dumplings, tanghulu, milktea, and more. It’s your go-to guide for celebrating traditions—on your table and on your feed!

Experience even more festive fun at select SM malls

At select SM malls, the celebration doesn’t stop at shopping and photo moments—it comes alive through a series of exciting activities designed to spark joy, luck, and shared experiences. Feel the festive energy as dragon and lion dance performances, led by a charming dragon and lion, bring movement and music to the mall on Feb 17 / 20-22.

Extend the fun online by trying the Fortune Filter on TikTok from February 1–28 and discover what kind of luck awaits you this season. Back at the mall, test your skills and your fortune at the Unlock Lock games happening on February 17–22, where exciting prizes await lucky winners.

For family-friendly moments and photo-worthy encounters, don’t miss the Chinese mascot meet and greet, perfect for creating cheerful memories with loved ones. Cap off the celebration with a spectacular finale as the sky lights up during the CNY 2026 fireworks, ending the season on a high and lucky note.

Feel the love.Chase the luck. Celebrate it all at SM Supermalls.

Make this season extra special by celebrating where love, luck, and community come together. Visit your most loved SM Mall, experience the Lucky Feels, and create maxed out memories worth sharing.

Leap into lucky vibes this Year of the Horse—only at SM Supermalls!

For the full schedule of activities and participating malls, visit www.smsupermalls.com. Or, you can follow @SMSupermalls on social media for the latest updates, must-try finds, and festive surprises.