Starting October 2022, SM Cubao — one of the first branches of retail giant SM in the metro — will be officially known as SM Araneta City.
The historic City of Firsts welcomes the change in the name of the iconic mall, which serves as a fitting follow-up to the rebranding of Araneta Center to Araneta City in September 2019.
“We are happy that SM, itself an institution in Philippine retail, is part of the memorable and colorful history that shaped Araneta City. They are one of our very first partners in business, and they have been a valuable part of our identity through the years,” Antonio Mardo, Senior Vice President for Operations of Araneta City, said.
It was in 1980 when SM — known back then as Shoemart department store — opened its third branch in then Araneta Center. SM Cubao opened four years after nearby Ali Mall was inaugurated in 1976, and was the Center’s second land lease establishment (after Rustan’s Superstore in 1975). It has since become one of the original prominent shopping destinations in Quezon City.
Commercial establishments in Araneta Center, including SM Cubao, underwent a series of changes and modernization since the ’90s following the rising retail and property development competition in the metro. To mark the rich pioneering history shared by SM Cubao and Ali Mall, a bridgeway was constructed to connect the two iconic malls.
“With SM Cubao’s rebranding to SM Araneta City, the transformation of Araneta from a pioneering commercial center to a modern mixed-use development takes on new heights. We look forward to completing our transformation and achieving our redevelopment plans with all our business partners in the near future,” Mardo said.
The mall rebranding comes as Araneta City fulfills its redevelopment plan to revamp and modernize the metro’s pioneer commercial district. Following the renovations of existing properties, the City of Firsts is preparing to open soon the expansive Gateway Mall 2 and the country’s firsts ibis Styles hotel, and will commence construction of more developments.
