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Gone are the days when Kapampangans (natives of Pampanga) still had to go to Metro Manila for shopping, which even then was a rare experience for most. No more long bus rides and traffic jams just to get to buy new clothes, shoes, or bags.
Over the years, Pampanga has kept up with urbanization; as a result, shopping centers were established in the province. Here is a list of the biggest shopping malls in Pampanga that not only offer items to buy, but also give customers a complete lifestyle experience. Read on!
1. SM City Pampanga
Where: Jose Abad Santos Avenue, City of San Fernando, Pampanga
SM City Pampanga is located in the busy Jose Abad Santos Avenue.
Image: SM City Pampanga (Official) Facebook Page
Opened in November 2000, SM City Pampanga is considered as the first SM Supermall in Central Luzon. It is composed of four buildings and boasts as the second largest shopping mall in Northern and Central Luzon.
SM City Pampanga offers the same signature SM Mall shopping experience to Kapampangans, but with one difference: the presence of Sky Ranch within the mall complex. The Sky Ranch in SM City Pampanga has 22 different rides including the Pampanga Eye, which is said to be the tallest and biggest Ferris wheel in the Philippines at 65 meters tall and 50 meters in diameter.
2. SM City Clark
Where: M.A. Roxas Avenue in Clark Freeport, Angeles City in Pampanga, Philippines
SM City Clark is found right before you enter the Clark Freeport Zone main gate.
Image: SM City Clark Facebook Page
SM City Clark opened its doors to Kapampangans in May 2006 and has become a lifestyle and business hub over the past 10 years. In 2013, it expanded with a new food court, and offices that house various Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and IT-related companies.
Aside from its more than 300 shops and dining establishments, it also features a bowling center and an IMAX Theatre. In 2015, Park Inn by Radisson Clark was established within the mall complex. It is an 8-storey, 154-room hotel that serves local and international tourists.
3. Robinsons Starmills
Where: Jose Abad Santos Avenue, City of San Fernando, Pampanga
Robinson Starmills Pampanga provides spacious outdoor and indoor venue perfect for Kapampangan cultural events.
Just across SM City Pampanga is Robinsons Starmills. It is known in the province as the shopping center where you can find the outlet stores of popular international and local brands. Its unique architectural design is an eye-catching structure when you pass by the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).
Other than the outlet stores, the three-level mall also features various dining outlets, entertainment facilities, and service centers. It is also the regular venue of Pampanga’s major cultural events like the Sinukwan Festival and the Giant Lantern Festival.
4. Robinsons Place Angeles
Where: Mac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City
Robinsons Place Angeles is conveniently located just along the MacArthur Highway.
Image: @bl__peach
Robinsons Place Angeles is the second Robinsons Mall in the province. Its location is very accessible and convenient for students and church-goers. The 3-level mall is not as spacious as compared to Robinsons Starmills and other shopping centers in the province, but it has the right mix of stores and service outlets, plus a supermarket and department store.
It also houses micro retail outlets of clothes and fashion accessories, as well as ukay-ukay shops (thrift stores) that sell pre-loved clothes, bags, and shoes. Satellite offices for some government institutions and some public services of the Angeles City government are also found here.
5. Marquee Mall
Where: 2135, Marquee Mall, A. Gueco St., Pulung Maragul, Angeles, 2009 Pampanga
Marquee Mall offers a complete shopping and lifestyle experience for its mall goers.
Image: Marquee Mall Facebook Page
Marquee Mall brings the Ayala shopping experience to Pampanga as the first and only Ayala Mall in the province. It features a mix of shops from foreign and local brands, coffee shops and restaurants serving the best of Kapampangan cuisine, as well as international food and other recreation and entertainment facilities.
Various government satellite offices are also found inside the mall. Just recently, Gold’s Gym also opened a branch here. Also situated within the mall complex is Marquee Residences, a mid-rise residential condominium.
6. Newpoint Mall
Where: Doña Teresa Avenue, Nepo Center 2009 Angeles City
The New Point Mall is part of the 14-storey building located at the heart of Angeles City.
Image: Regz Bonifacio
Newpoint Mall is the newest addition among the shopping centers in Pampanga. Opened in September 2016, it contains retail shops and stalls as well as a food strip with various restaurants and fast food chains. The mall’s interiors showcase modern Kapampangan details; for instance, the design of its ceilings is Lubenas parol (lantern)-inspired and its entrances and columns have the Kulitan (indigenous writing system) phrase, “Salangi Ko Pu” (“May you be enlightened”) inscribed on them.
Newpoint Mall is found at the heart of Angeles City in a 14-storey building. It occupies three and a half floors, while the rest are for parking and offices.
7. S&R Dau and San Fernando
Where: Jose Abad Santos Avenue, City of San Fernando, 2000 Pampanga
Dau, Mabalacat, Pampanga
Inside, S&R Pampanga gives a new shopping experience to Kapampangans.
Image: Cassie Mercado
Kapampangans now also experience being in a membership-shopping club with the establishment of S&R in the province. It has two branches in Pampanga; one is located in Dau, Mabalacat and the other is in the City of San Fernando. S&R is patterned after the warehouse membership shopping chains introduced in the United States.
The shopping spot offers a wide variety of quality imported items and in-house brands. To be able to shop here, membership good for one year should be first availed by customers at a minimal cost. Aside from a new kind of shopping experience, Cabalens also keep coming back to S&R because of its mouthwatering pizza, burgers, and desserts.
8. Puregold Duty Free Clark
Where: Claro M Recto Hwy, Clark Freeport, Pampanga
Located inside the Clark Freeport Zone, Puregold Duty Free is a place to shop from a wide selection of imported grocery, food, apparel and household items.
Image: @matsuicosme
Before the big shopping malls emerged in Pampanga, Puregold Duty Free Clark was one of the major shopping destinations of Kapampangans and even shoppers coming from the nearby provinces and in Metro Manila.
Years after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, the Clark Special Economic Zone—later renamed as the Clark Freeport Zone—was established. Along with it came various establishments, casinos, and duty free shops, one of which is Puregold Duty Free. It offers imported grocery items, apparel, bags, and cosmetics, as well as home essentials, bed and bath amenities and kitchenware.
Make sure to visit Yoorekka to learn and find out the best and newest Shopping Centers in Pampanga.
From zero shopping malls to a number of options and more to come, Pampanga can be your best alternative to Manila for a complete shopping experience.
This article was originally published in Yoorekka on January 14, 2019.
