Limketkai Mall

Limketkai Center (Chinese: 林市場偕中心) is an expansive shopping center in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. Known by the locals as Ketkai, it is owned and developed by Limketkai Sons, Inc., the largest factory and business district developer in the city.

Located in the city's central business district, particularly within the mixed-use 40 hectare Limketkai Center in Lapasan, the sprawling, two-storey mall has over 500 diversified tenants, offering a complementary mix of internationally and nationally recognized stores, local boutique shops, fast-food chains and specialty fine-dining restaurants. It also offers a complete range of facilities including four modern movie theatres, food courts, entertainment and day-care centers, spas and clinics.

Additionally, the first McDonald's store in Visayas and Mindanao opened here, as well as the first Marks & Spencer store in Mindanao.^[1][2] The first Robinsons Mall in Mindanao, Robinsons Cagayan De Oro is also located inside the mall complex.^[3] Limketkai Center also has a Mass every Sunday at the Our Lady of Manaoag Church.^[4]

The mall is estimated to have more than 135,000 gross floor area exclusive of recent expansions.^[5][6]

Anchor Stores & Services

Robinsons Cagayan de Oro

Located at the North Concourse of this mall complex, Robinsons Cagayan De Oro is the first Robinsons Mall in Mindanao which was opened in 2002.^[7][3][8] It houses Robinsons Applicances, Robinsons Department Store, Robinsons Supermarket, Daiso Handyman, and anchor shops that is hosted by Robinsons Malls.

Limketkai Luxe Hotel

It is one of the biggest hotels in the city with 213 guest rooms, state-of-the-art facilities, and is located inside this mall complex. The box-type tower is an iconic landmark to the city that is stand in solid gold, resembling Cagayan de Oro as the City of Golden Friendship.^[9][10]

Shopwise

A two-level hypermarket operated by Rustan's Supercenters Inc., and is one of the mall's anchor stores.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Our Lady of Manaoag Chapel

Since the 1990s, Masses have been celebrated at Limketkai; first near the South Concourse entrance, then at the Limketkai Atrium.^[15] In 2014, the Masses were moved to another location - this time to a brand-new chapel inside the mall's East Annex next to Shopwise.^{[16][17][18][4]} The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary of Manaoag.

Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer is a British multinational retailer which operates under Stores Specialist Inc. (SSI) of Rustan's. The branch in Limketkai is their first store in Mindanao.^[19]

Entertainment

Rosario Arcade

Atrium

Limketkai Mall is home to an activity venue called the Atrium. It has a 4,500 seat capacity, and has hosted many local, national and international conventions and concerts in the city yearly.^[20] It was also here where the city local candidates held their debate during the 2016 elections.^[21]

The Rotunda

The Rotunda is a circular event venue has been drawing large crowds especially on weekends.^[22]

Cinemas

The mall houses four cinemas with one featuring Dolby Atmos, the first in Mindanao.^[23][24][25]

Rosario Arcade

Rosario Arcade, an alfresco area and a popular bar strip in Cagayan De Oro which has been a night life and dining destination in the city.^[26]

Expansion

Facade of Limketkai Mall

Since its opening in 1992, Limketkai Mall has been under constant renovation and expansion, in order to compete with the national retailers such as SM and Ayala that expand their businesses in the city.

Most notable was the general renovation, which started in 2003 in response to the newly-built and bigger SM City Cagayan de Oro. The mostly one-storey, open-air shopping center was converted into a two-storey, fully air-conditioned mall. The renovated main mall was connected then to Robinsons Big R (now Robinsons Cagayan de Oro) for the convenience of shoppers crossing between the two malls.

Most recent expansions include the East Concourse Wing, which houses high-end fashion and lifestyle shops. Connecting the East Concourse Wing is value-hypermarket Shopwise, which has an indoor automated car park on its first level offering 500 slots.

The Green Lane, which surrounds the Atrium, is a new expansion for high-end shops connecting the East Concourse to the South Concourse.^[27] The new glass-clad promenade was built directly above the South Promenade and is lined with trees and plants, and is targeted as an upscale greenbelt corner.

The Limketkai Skywalk connects the main mall to other buildings of the complex, such as the newly-renovated and expanded Rosario Strip, Limketkai Luxe Hotel, Gateway Tower and Gateway Park.

Meanwhile, a four-storey building with leasable space and two basements serving as parking space called Limketkai Mall Module-2 BPO & Cyberpark Building, is now under construction in front of Robinsons Cagayan de Oro. This building expansion will be connected then to the mall's North Concourse.

Another multilevel building is said to rise soon at the mall's parking D area between Shell's gasoline station and The Loop showroom. This building will be connected to the mall's South Concourse.

Incidents and controversies

Rosario Arcade bombing

A bomb explosion ripped through a row of upscale restaurants at the Rosario Arcade on the night of July 26, 2013. The bombing killed at least 6 and injured 48 others.^[26][28] Investigations found out that it was the Abu Sayyaf who led the incident and pointed out Renierlo Dongon as the primary suspect of the bombing. Dongon had served as a leader of the Khilafa Islamiya and once arrested sometime in 2013 and is connected as well to Abu Sayyaf.^[29] In the midst of the Bohol clashes, Dongon along with his wife Supt. Maria Cristina Nobleza was later caught by the authorities on April 23, 2017.^[30]

Casino proposal

Since 2009, concerns have been raised from several church groups and organizations after a casino was planned to open inside the mall complex.^[31][32] The casino would be operated under Diamond Millenium Corporation, represented by Lorenzo U. Limketkai and have a PAGCOR e-Games Station.^[33] It would be placed inside the Lifestyle Podium next to the Limketkai Luxe Hotel which is currently under construction and is set to open on January 2018.^[34][35][36] The Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro expressed their opposition to this proposal, saying that the chapel could be removed and Mass would no longer be celebrated if the plan were to go ahead.^[37][38][39] The Committee on Trade and Commerce of the city's local government is yet to review the proposal.

Gallery

• 
  The Rotunda, Limketkai Mall
• 
  Limketkai Luxe Hotel and the Gateway Tower by night
• 
  Limketkai Luxe Hotel
• 
  A hallway heading to the mall's atrium
• 
  Robinson's Department Store, inside Limketkai Mall (Formerly Plaza Fair Department Store) 2nd level, South and West Concourse
• 
  The Cinema, one of which is equipped with Dolby Atmos
• 
  Marks & Spencer
• 
  Abenson store

See also

• List of shopping malls in the Philippines
• List of largest shopping malls in the Philippines
• Cagayan de Oro
• Robinsons Malls

References

External links

• Limketkai Center Official Website
• Limketkai Mall Map

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shopping malls in the Philippines.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Limketkai Center.

Robinsons Malls
Operating Malls	Metro Manila Forum Galleria Las Piñas Magnolia Malabon Manila Metro East Novaliches Otis North Luzon Angeles Cabanatuan* Ilocos Norte Luisita Malolos Pangasinan Pulilan Santiago Starmills South Luzon Antipolo Cainta Dasmariñas Gen. Trias Imus Lipa Los Baños Naga Palawan Santa Rosa Tagaytay Visayas Antique Bacolod Cybergate Bacolod Fuente, Cebu Cybergate Cebu Galleria Cebu Dumaguete Iloilo Jaro Roxas Tacloban Mindanao Butuan Cagayan de Oro Cybergate Davao General Santos Tagum Iligan
Proposed Malls	Bogo North Tacloban Ormoc Pavia Valencia Panabo San Pedro
China	Shanghai Xiamen Chengdu
Asterisks (*) indicated that eventhough malls owned by Robinsons Land (referenced in the company's report), it was operated by Robinsons Retail Holdings itself.