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The Philippines' entire modern shopping mall industry started here. SM City North EDSA opened on 25 November 1985 as SM Prime Holdings' first mall — the property that established the SM Supermall format, defined the country's mid-scale retail standard through the late 1980s and 1990s, and served as the largest mall in the Philippines by gross floor area for years. Today the property spans 488,000 square metres of GLA across five interconnected buildings — the Main Mall, the Annex (which carries the premium-international programme), The Block, the Sky Garden rooftop, and Interior Design Center — making it, by SM's own reporting, still the largest SM Supermall by GLA. For north-of-EDSA affluent regulars from Quezon City, Novaliches, San Juan, and the northern Metro Manila belt, North EDSA is not simply a mall. It is the multi-decade retail centrepiece of the entire QC affluent map. The 1985 Origin Story Before SM City North EDSA opened, the Sy family's SM (Shoe Mart) operated as a chain of department stores across Metro Manila. The 1985 North EDSA opening changed the model. By combining SM's department store with tenant retail, food court dining, and a cinema programme under a single structure at the intersection of EDSA and North Avenue, the property invented the SM Supermall format that would come to define Philippine retail across the next four decades. The subsequent expansions — the Annex (opened 2006), The Block (opened 2007), the Sky Garden rooftop, and Interior Design Center — layered new retail bands onto the original spine. The Annex, in particular, carries the premium-international programme that positions North EDSA above the standard SM Supermall register. Total GLA across the connected complex today: approximately 488,000 square metres. For context, that puts North EDSA in the same size class as SM Mall of Asia at Pasay Bay City — SM's two largest Metro Manila flagships. The Annex — The Premium Programme The Annex, opened 2006 across five levels, carries the premium-international tenant band that lifts North EDSA above the standard SM Supermall retail register. This is where affluent QC regulars find: International fashion — Zara, Uniqlo, H&M, Marks & Spencer, COS, MUJI, Charles & Keith. Beauty and skincare — Sephora at the Annex, along with the broader premium beauty programme. Dining — the Annex dining floors carry premium-international restaurants calibrated for the affluent QC demographic — a step above the food court programme at the Main Mall. Cinema — SM Cinema with IMAX at The Block, Director's Club premium seating, and Premiere formats. For maison flagships, affluent QC regulars typically drive to Greenbelt at Ayala Center Makati or to Shangri-La Plaza in Ortigas. For the premium-international everyday programme, the North EDSA Annex delivers the deepest coverage north of EDSA. The Main Mall + The Block + Sky Garden The Main Mall carries the mass-scale department store, the food court, the mid-tier retail programme, and the deep grocery. The Block adds premium cinema and additional retail floors. The Sky Garden — a landscaped rooftop with restaurants and outdoor seating — carries the alfresco dining programme. For affluent QC families, the standard North EDSA weekend visit typically integrates a Main Mall grocery run, an Annex clothing or beauty shop, and a Sky Garden dinner. How North EDSA Compares in Quezon City Within the QC affluent retail map, North EDSA carries the mass-scale flagship position: Property Primary function SM City North EDSA Mass-scale flagship + Annex premium + The Block + Sky Garden Trinoma Ayala's QC flagship + alfresco dining Eastwood Mall Megaworld lifestyle centrepiece + Village Walk Opus Mall Boutique luxury + designer beauty (Bridgetowne) Robinsons Magnolia Family-premium hub + San Juan heritage district For the North EDSA-Trinoma axis specifically: the two properties sit within walking distance across the North EDSA-North Avenue intersection, connected by a covered walkway. The standard QC affluent weekend circuit often integrates both — Trinoma for the Ayala Malls alfresco dining and cinema programme, North EDSA for the deeper Annex retail and Sky Garden. Getting There By car — the complex sits at the intersection of EDSA, North Avenue, and West Avenue. Parking spans multiple decks across the connected buildings. By MRT-3 — North Avenue Station opens directly onto the Trinoma walkway; from there North EDSA is a five-minute covered walk. Nearby affluent property — Solaire Resort North at Vertis North sits five minutes north, delivering the Vertis Premium hotel-casino programme for affluent QC and northern Metro Manila visitors. When to Visit Weekday afternoons deliver the quietest premium-retail window at the Annex. Weekend afternoons at the Main Mall are one of the highest-foot-traffic environments in Metro Manila retail — expect the Christmas season peak to exceed 400,000 daily visitors. For premium retail visits, the Annex mid-morning-through-early-afternoon window is the recommended affluent programme. Related — All Properties Under Metro Manila Malls: Most Loved Parent thread: Metro Manila Malls: Most Loved — the 17-property Metro Manila premium retail canon Quezon City & The North siblings — Trinoma · Eastwood Mall · Opus Mall · Robinsons Magnolia Adjacent QC affluent property — Solaire Resort North (Quezon City) Related Pinned Parents — Philippine Casinos and Integrated Resorts · Metro Manila Hotels: Luxurious · Philippine Provincial Malls · Philippine Wellness & Spa Retreats · Philippine Attractions, Theme Parks & Heritage Your turn. Multi-decade North EDSA memories from longtime QC regulars. Annex premium favourite tenants. Sky Garden rooftop dining recommendations. The Block cinema Director's Club patterns. Christmas peak survival strategies. Trinoma-versus-North-EDSA weekend circuit patterns for affluent QC regulars. Share your visits. — Bizman

Opened in June 1991 as the Philippines' first true mega-mall, SM Megamall was — and structurally remains — the retail centrepiece of the Ortigas Center CBD. The property spans two connected buildings (Building A and Building B, both fronting EDSA) plus the newer Mega Fashion Hall, delivering roughly 474,000 square metres of gross floor area and one of the highest daily foot-traffic counts in Philippine retail. What defines Megamall is not luxury depth (that lives at Shangri-La Plaza across EDSA). It is the sheer completeness of the mid-premium-through-affluent retail programme it carries under one roof, the Megatrade Halls convention-and-events programme that hosts the country's largest single-venue consumer expositions, and the multi-decade Ortigas institutional weight that no other property in the district can claim. How the Country's First Mega-Mall Was Built Before Megamall opened in 1991, "mall" in the Philippines meant a mid-scale enclosed shopping structure. Robinsons Galleria had opened next door in 1990, but at a scale calibrated to the era. When Henry Sy Sr. and SM Prime Holdings opened Megamall at more than 200,000 square metres, the property carried more retail than any previous Philippine mall by a factor of two. The Mega Fashion Hall extension (completed 2014) added another 65,000+ square metres of premium and mid-premium retail across four levels, connected to the original Building A via a dedicated bridge. The Mega Atrium and Mega Trade Hall components layered the events and convention programme onto the structure. The result today: a three-decade institution that has anchored Ortigas Center retail across multiple economic cycles and remains, alongside SM Mall of Asia, the operator's most-recognisable Metro Manila flagship. The Tenant Programme Within the massive floor plate, the tenant mix delivers the fullest expression of SM's premium-through-mid-premium retail range: International fashion — Zara, Uniqlo, H&M, COS, Marks & Spencer, Cotton On, MUJI, and the broader premium-international programme. Premium beauty and skincare — the SM Store beauty hall carries most premium-international beauty maisons; Sephora at Mega Fashion Hall. Cinema — SM Cinema with IMAX (Building A), Director's Club premium seating, and Premiere formats — one of the deepest cinema programmes in Metro Manila. Dining — hundreds of restaurants across the four buildings, ranging from mid-tier chain restaurants through premium-international restaurants at Mega Fashion Hall. Department stores — The SM Store carries three of its Metro Manila flagship departments here. Uniqlo, H&M, and Zara operate flagship-scale stores. Home and lifestyle — SM Home, Our Home, Ace Hardware Home Center — the deepest home-and-lifestyle programme in the Ortigas CBD. Kids and family — SM Kids Fashion, Toys R Us, ELC — the family-affluent programme. For luxury maison flagships (Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Hermès), affluent Ortigas regulars cross EDSA to Shangri-La Plaza's Luxury Lane. For the mid-premium and premium-international everyday programme, Megamall delivers the most complete coverage in the district. Megatrade Halls — The Events Programme The single most-distinctive Megamall feature: the Megatrade Halls at Building B host the country's largest single-venue consumer expositions. From the Manila International Book Fair through the World Bazaar Festival to major consumer electronics, automotive, and beauty trade shows, the Megatrade Halls carry a year-round events calendar that no other Philippine mall matches at scale. For affluent Metro Manila residents planning weekend circuits, checking the Megatrade Halls schedule is often the deciding factor for a Megamall visit. How Megamall Compares in Ortigas Within the Ortigas Center retail cluster, Megamall carries the mid-through-premium-scale flagship: Property Primary function SM Megamall Mid-through-premium flagship + Megatrade Halls events Shangri-La Plaza Luxury maison flagships (Luxury Lane) + fine dining The Podium Upscale curation + Cul-de-Sac brands The Ortigas affluent circuit typically integrates all three. Shangri-La Plaza for the maison programme, Megamall for the mid-premium and cinema programme, The Podium for curated boutique dining. A Saturday-in-Ortigas affluent programme hits all three across a single afternoon. Getting There By car — the two buildings sit along EDSA at the corner of Julia Vargas Avenue. Parking is deep across multiple basement levels; expect to wait during peak weekend afternoons. By MRT-3 — Ortigas Station opens directly onto the Robinsons Galleria walkway; Megamall is a five-minute covered walk across EDSA. Nearby hotels — Marco Polo Ortigas Manila and Edsa Shangri-La Manila are within walking distance; The Westin Manila sits nearby in Mandaluyong CBD. When to Visit Weekday afternoons deliver the quietest premium-retail window. Weekend afternoons are the busiest window at any Philippine mall of this scale — foot traffic can exceed 300,000 across a Saturday. Time visits around the Megatrade Halls calendar — a good exhibition doubles the reason to be here. Related — All Properties Under Metro Manila Malls: Most Loved Parent thread: Metro Manila Malls: Most Loved — the 17-property Metro Manila premium retail canon Ortigas Center & Mandaluyong siblings — Shangri-La Plaza · The Podium Adjacent Ortigas hotels for visiting affluent travellers — Edsa Shangri-La Manila · Marco Polo Ortigas Manila · The Westin Manila (Ortigas) Related Pinned Parents — Philippine Casinos and Integrated Resorts · Metro Manila Hotels: Luxurious · Philippine Provincial Malls · Philippine Wellness & Spa Retreats · Philippine Attractions, Theme Parks & Heritage Your turn. Multi-decade Megamall memories from longtime Ortigas regulars. Building A vs. Building B daily-touch patterns. Mega Fashion Hall favourite premium tenants. Megatrade Halls exhibitions worth flagging. Weekend evening dining strip circuits. Ortigas-vs.-Makati weekend circuit preferences from affluent visitors. Share your visits. — Bizman