Megaworld Lifestyle Malls lauded for Brand Transformation of the Year

It won for building Greenhouse at Village Square Alabang, the first plant sanctuary mall in the Philippines.

Philippine luxury malls developer Megaworld Lifestyle Malls recognised that as the pandemic raged on and lockdowns became more frequent, many Filipinos have turned to nature and gardening.

The Philippine ‘plantdemic’ was in full bloom, with soaring demand sparking a boom in sellers and even in prices. Plant selling became an instant hit, whether online or offline, and rare flora species were fetching millions of pesos in some auctions.

Realizing the growing demand for plants and gardening supplies, and the need to cater to the burgeoning gardening community, Megaworld Lifestyle Malls launched and rebranded one of its community malls, The Village Square Alabang into a Greenhouse at Village Square Alabang.

The first plant sanctuary mall in the Philippines, Greenhouse at Village Square Alabang brought together popular plant sellers and gardening suppliers all under one roof. It served as a safe and convenient space for plant-lovers and gardening enthusiasts for their planting needs and expertise.

According to the company, this was a pivotal project as it recognised that the Philippines is blessed with an abundance of plant species and varieties in a tropical country. It is said that a lot of Filipinos have a knack for gardening, a hidden talent many were able to realize as they sought solace in this newfound hobby.

The company added that hopping from one shop to another required a lot of legwork from the seller, while logistics and parcel handling became common issues for plant sellers.

As most plant sellers are located in the suburbs and provinces, it was difficult for plant shoppers in the city to get hold of or buy plants, especially with the travel restrictions implemented by local authorities.

Opening the mall led to a growth of tenant mix inside the 13,000 square meter mall.

For this project, it was given the Brand Transformation of the Year – Philippines award in the recently concluded 17th Retail Asia Awards. It is a prestigious annual event that gathers the region's best retailers and recognises the most outstanding retail initiatives.

In giving this award, the judging panel took into consideration three major achievements of the company.

First is that Greenhouse at Village Square Alabang was able to help over 50 plant and gardening merchants and make their businesses bloom.

Second is that Greenhouse at Village Square Alabang achieved US$2.5m in annual sales and an annual average foot traffic increase of 152%, reaching a total of 4.8m.

Third, Greenhouse at Village Square Alabang generated more than 300 direct and indirect jobs with their opening.

Partnerships with the government were also entered into to provide platforms and spaces for farmers, local entrepreneurs and SMEs through regional trade fairs, farmer’s markets, seminars, and workshops.

More than 1,200 gardening enthusiasts were educated through the 25 different seminars conducted by Greenhouse at Village Square Alabang.

Despite the changing restrictions and community quarantine, Greenhouse at Village Square Alabang was able to bring together the gardening community – from experts, enthusiasts, newbies, and plant and gardening merchants.

The 17th Retail Asia Awards is presented by Retail Asia. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2023 awards programme and be acclaimed for your company's outstanding retail initiatives, please contact Jane Patiag at [email protected].