SM Supermalls plans to allocate an entire floor of the redeveloped Harrison Plaza in Manila to local and emerging designers as it tailors parts of the mall toward younger consumers, company President Steven T. Tan said.

"We focus on the youth," Mr. Tan told reporters on the sidelines of the company's Mid-Year Business Review on Tuesday.

One floor of the mall would showcase local and up-and-coming designers, while other areas would feature concepts aimed at younger shoppers, he said.

"So we're designing it into that. It has so much youth energy," Mr. Tan said. "I'm so excited by it."

The dedicated space for local designers would give small and emerging Filipino brands a foothold in a major mall chain, a channel that can otherwise be costly for smaller players to enter.

The mall's positioning reflects its proximity to schools such as De La Salle University and St. Scholastica's College, Mr. Tan noted. He added that parts of the mall are being designed to include entertainment and food-and-beverage concepts catering to younger customers, including DJs, yogurt drinks, matcha, and coffee — formats aligned with the experiential retail trend, as mall operators increasingly lean on dining, entertainment, and lifestyle offerings to draw foot traffic amid the growth of online shopping.

Mr. Tan said SM Harrison Plaza could open by late 2027 or early 2028.

SM Prime Holdings, Inc. earlier announced plans to invest more than P6 billion to redevelop the former Harrison Plaza site, with the project initially targeted to open in 2027.

The planned mall will have a gross floor area of more than 200,000 square meters (sq.m.), placing it in the same size range as SM City Davao and SM City Clark.

The project is expected to operate as a mixed-use retail and lifestyle center serving office workers, residents, and students in the Malate and Ermita areas.

It forms part of SM Prime's P150-billion mall investment program for 2026 to 2030, which covers the redevelopment of 16 existing malls and the construction of 12 to 15 new lifestyle centers.

Mr. Tan said SM Supermalls remains committed to its five-year expansion targets despite adjustments to the timelines of some projects.

"Some of them have adjusted, but only for a couple of months. It's still on for the five years, the exact number," he said.

Some project timelines had shifted because of construction, logistics, and supply issues, he explained.

"So those things happen, but we are still focused on finishing or committing our commitments to the public," Mr. Tan said.

SM Supermalls expects to end the year with 91 malls following the scheduled opening of SM Nuvali on Nov. 27.

Harrison Plaza opened in 1976 and was regarded as the country's first one-stop shopping mall. The redevelopment would mark the site's return as a retail destination after the original mall, which had long been in operation, ceased operations before the project began. — Alexandria Grace C. Magno