Bulacan is fast transforming into a highly urbanized province with the construction of massive infrastructure projects like the New Manila International Airport (NMIA), North-South Commuter Rail Project, MRT 7, and more. Farmlands are converted into residential subdivisions and commercial areas. Likewise, shopping malls are sprouting like crazy in every town or city.
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Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s, we did not have shopping malls in Bulacan. We have a few movie houses in Meycauayan and Baliuag, which is closest to a shopping mall concept but not on par with the super malls in Greenhills, Greenbelt, Shangri-La, or SM. The locals then prefer going to public markets to buy grocery food, school supplies, Ready-to-wear (RTW) apparel, shoes, bags, etc.
It was a big deal then to travel to Metro Manila and experience going to the mall with the family. It was fun and exciting, especially for a probinsyano kid like me. You get to ride the escalator, sometimes even the elevator and enjoy the cold aircon while window shopping. Window shopping is a term for strolling around and looking at goods displayed in shop windows without intending to buy anything.
A shopping mall is where you can conveniently find retail stores, supermarkets, restaurants, banks, and other establishments in the exact location. SM (formerly known as Shoe Mart), under SM Prime Holdings corporation, is the largest shopping retail operator in the Philippines, with 78 operating malls. The biggest shopping mall in the Philippines in terms of gross leasable area is the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay. SM North EDSA and SM Megamall took second and third place.
Ali Mall is the first major shopping mall in the Philippines; the retail area was named in honor of great boxer Muhammad Ali and was built in 1976, making it one of the oldest malls in the country. In the same year, Harrison Plaza (HP) was opened along Harrison Avenue corner Pablo Ocampo Street in the district of Malate in Manila. It was the first modern and major shopping mall located in the area.
However, the Harrison Plaza (HP) permanently closed in 2019. The shopping mall building was demolished last year to give way for a redevelopment of the site into a residential building complex with a shopping center by SM Prime Holdings.
SM City Baliwag is the biggest mall in Bulacan. There are rumors that SM will build one in Malolos City soon. Meanwhile, DiviMart has the most shopping malls in the province, with seven branches. The next is WalterMart, owned by SM Retail and the family of Wilson Lim, with six. I am pretty sure that there will be more shopping malls to be constructed near you.
List of Shopping Malls in Bulacan
- Altaraza Town Center – San Jose Del Monte
- Aliw Shopping Complex – Meycauayan
- Balagtas Town Center
- Bocaue CityMall
- Casa Anselmo – Malolos
- Divimart Angat
- Divimart Baliuag
- Divimart Bunsuran – Pandi
- Divimart Guiguinto
- Divimart Malolos (coming soon)
- Divimart Pulilan Shopping Center
- Divimart San Ildefonso
- Divimart San Miguel
- EB Town Center – San Jose Del Monte
- GT7 Mall – Bulakan
- GT7 Mall – Marilao
- GT7 Mall – Meycauayan
- Graceland Mall – Malolos
- Imart Shopping Center – Meycauayan
- Imart Shopping Center – Sta. Maria
- Maunlad Mall – Malolos
- NewStar Shopping Mart – Balagtas
- NewStar Shopping Mart – Malolos
- NewStar Shopping Mart – Marilao
- One San Ildefonso
- Robinsons Place Malolos
- Robinsons Townville Meycauayan
- SM City Baliwag
- SM City Marilao
- SM Center Pulilan
- SM City San Jose del Monte
- SMAXS Shopping Center Sta. Maria
- Starmall San Jose Del Monte
- Sterling Square Mall – Meycauayan
- St. Agatha Square – Guiguinto
- TM Centerpoint – San Jose Del Monte
- Victory Town Center – San Jose Del Monte
- Violago Plaza – Baliuag
- Vista Mall Malolos
- Vista Mall Sta Maria
- WalterMart Baliuag
- WalterMart Guiguinto
- Waltermart Mall Plaridel
- WalterMart Malolos
- WalterMart Altaraza San Jose del Monte
- WalterMart Sta. Maria Shopping Center
- Xentro Mall – Malolos
- Xentro Mall – Sta. Maria