In less than six (06) months, we will be two (02) years in the ongoing pandemic, which has by far affected the lives and livelihoods of many Filipinos. Based on a study conducted by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in 2020 participated by some 1,804 MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), 70.6% of the respondents were forced to temporarily shut down, while 66.2% said to had resorted to temporary staff cuts at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Filipinos, being regarded as creative and resourceful, saw a lot of opportunities in online businesses with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) reporting some 88,000 new eCommerce business registrations at the end of 2020 — on track with a projected 1 million online enterprises by 2022 (from 500,000 in 2020).
SM Supermalls very well understands the potential of each Filipino to be successful business owners because of their founder, the late Mr. Henry Sy’s own inspiring story. Sy, fondly called “Tatang” in SM, started out as a small business owner with his first footwear shop ShoeMart. It is in SM’s DNA to enable and inspire small businesses like the one it once was.
Last 15 October 2021, coincidentally, Tatang’s birthday, SM launched The SM StartUp Package aimed at providing small online businesses the valuable support they need so they can set up their shop in an SM mall. This will be made available to the first 100 digital-based MSME owners who currently don’t have a shop inside SM or any other physical store in general.
“We created The SM StartUp Package because we saw how Filipinos persevered in the past year. Very much true to the spirit of Henry Sy, who always said he worked harder during bad times, many MSMEs did not let the pandemic stop them from providing good service and products — even from their own homes. We want to give them a chance to further grow their businesses and brands, and enable them to start their own SM shops which they can one day grow into business empires, just like our founder once did,” according to SM Supermalls President Steven T. Tan.
The package offers features such as start-up-friendly rental rates and use of kiosks or carts free of charge; marketing assistance to give the brand free exposure in SM online assets and ad spaces inside malls; financial assistance via BDO; and mentorship from SM experts on operations and marketing.
To be known as “The StartUp Markets”, chosen startups will have their physical presence at SM North Edsa, SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Southmall, SM Pampanga, SM Clark, SM Grand Central, SM Sta. Rosa, SM City Cebu, SM Iloilo, SM Bacolod, SM CDO Downtown Premier, and SM Lanang Premier.
The SM StartUp Package will allow more people to level up their online start-up, inspiring them to follow in the footsteps of “Tatang” so they can take more confident steps even during these uncertain times.
Visit www.smsupermalls.com and check @smsupermalls on all social media channels to find out how to sign up for The SM StartUp Package.