The 14th Annual Shopping Malls Summit, held from May 7–8, 2025 in Hong Kong, brought together retail leaders and innovators from across Asia to exchange insights on the evolving future of shopping centers. Trueventus, a Singapore-based events company known for hosting high-level conferences across the real estate, retail, and business transformation sectors, curated the summit focused on experiential retail, sustainability, and digital innovation.
Among the event’s featured speakers was May Adolfo, General Manager of The Mall at NUSTAR Cebu and Director for External Affairs (Visayas) at Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC). Delivering a talk entitled “Future Proofing Your Mall—Are Services the Answer?”, Adolfo discussed how Robinsons Malls is equipping its nationwide network of lifestyle centers to thrive in a fast-changing environment by placing a renewed emphasis on purpose-driven operations, community connection, and human-centered services.
As Adolfo shared with the audience, the very existence of Robinsons Malls is rooted in the purpose-driven philosophy of the Gokongwei Group (of which RLC is a major part) — “an unrelenting commitment to provide our customers with better choices, creating shared success with our stakeholders.”
A Purpose-Driven Approach
To guide how its malls are designed, tenanted, and operated across the Philippines, Robinsons Malls has adopted a basic “C–D–E” framework, standing for Community, Diversification, and Experience. This model reflects the company’s belief that malls must evolve into lifestyle ecosystems where people don’t just shop, but connect, grow, and thrive.
Malls today are no longer viewed as purely transactional spaces, Adolfo pointed out, but “experiential, community-centric destinations.” In the times ahead, as mallgoers and their habits continue to evolve, the continued relevance of these lifestyle centers will depend on how they “connect, inspire, and reflect purpose.”
One example of how Robinsons Land approaches this is through the Lingkod Pinoy Center, a prominent fixture in many Robinsons Malls that provides the general public with convenient access to vital government services.
The company also incorporates art and culture into its environments. A stone’s throw away from the upscale Opus mall in Bridgetowne Destination Estate, for instance, is the landmark sculpture “The Victor” by Jefre Manuel. According to Adolfo, the towering structure stands as a “seamless blend of art, architecture, and engineering” that “captures the indomitable spirit of the Filipino people.”
These placemaking efforts reinforce Robinsons Malls’ role not just as hubs for retail and commerce, but as “living, breathing expressions of the communities we serve.”
Diversifying Beyond Traditional Retail
To remain competitive, Robinsons Malls has gone beyond conventional retail offerings to include wellness centers, lifestyle clinics, educational hubs, and diverse F&B options. In her presentation, Adolfo described the company’s effort to “deliver experiences that are not only commercially resilient but also deeply human, impactful, and enduring.”
At The Mall at NUSTAR, more than 85% of the tenants are first-time entrants to the Visayas-Mindanao region—introducing first-in-market lifestyle offerings that bring new global and local brands to Cebu for the very first time. Adolfo emphasized the importance of a “thoughtfully curated tenant mix”, one that showcases both homegrown brands and new global concepts.
Robinsons Malls is also focused on delivering immersive, human-centered service. Adolfo explained that “providing an immersive and human-centered experience is key to relevance and consistently a crucial factor in the success of our malls.”
From free shuttle services, pet-friendly amenities, power charging, convenient workstations for remote workers, wheelchairs for accessibility to on-site lifestyle ambassadors, the company is enhancing every customer touchpoint to ensure a “meaningful, seamless, and memorable experience.”
Digital and Sustainable by Design
Digital transformation is a cornerstone of the future-proofing strategy. The RMalls+ mobile app offers real-time access to promotions, event bookings, and loyalty rewards, while the Tenant Portal empowers merchants with data-driven tools and seamless coordination.
Robinsons Land is also a recognized leader in sustainability. As Adolfo presented, RLC “leads the country in the installation of its own solar panels”, with over 31.5 megawatts of solar capacity installed, generating 195 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy and avoiding more than 138,000 metric tons of carbon emissions. That’s equivalent to planting close to 2.3 million trees.
Additional efforts such as EV charging stations, waste recycling, and resource-conscious building design all contribute to the company’s environmental stewardship.
Building Resilience in Times of Crisis
Adolfo shared a powerful example from December 2021, when Super Typhoon Odette hit Cebu. With power and communications down in many parts of the province, the affected Robinsons Malls in Cebu reopened essential establishments and offered free power charging and Wi-Fi to help people reconnect with their families and loved ones.
“This experience reminded us that in times of crisis, spaces can become sanctuaries. That communities grow stronger when they come together. That’s service in action,” she said.
Are Services the Answer?
Adolfo posed this very question in her presentation—and the answer, she explained, is an emphatic yes, but with a reminder: “A service must do more than assist—it must connect, inspire, and reflect purpose.”
She described how services, when delivered intentionally and consistently, become powerful anchors that build customer loyalty, drive return visits, and create emotional resonance. Rather than being an add-on, purposeful service has become a core pillar of how Robinsons Malls defines relevance and value.
As Adolfo closed, she reiterated a key portion from her talk, having stated “we are not just in retail—we are in the business of relevance.” That, ultimately, is how Robinsons Malls intends to lead the industry into the future: by staying vibrant, human, and anchored to a greater purpose.
For more information on The Mall at NUSTAR Cebu, visit nustar.ph/the-mall-at-nustar-resort
To learn more about Robinsons Malls, visit robinsonsmalls.com/
