SM paw parks, pet changing stations: Hanna Carinna Sy wants your fur baby at the mall

Sam Calleja/Rappler

'Pet initiatives are close to home for me because I have pets myself, and I know firsthand how much fur babies are a beloved part of families,' the third-generation Sy tells Rappler

AT A GLANCE

• Hanna Carinna Sy, a senior assistant vice president at SM Supermalls, is passionate about integrating pet-friendly initiatives into the mall experience, reflecting her personal love for pets.
• SM Supermalls is recognizing the growing pet community as a lucrative customer segment, introducing features like pet changing stations and Paw Parks to enhance the shopping experience for pet owners.
• Sy aims to create a comprehensive ecosystem for pet owners rather than just a loyalty program, while also contributing her unique vision to the family business founded by her grandfather, Henry Sy Sr.

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MANILA, Philippines – Ask Hanna Carinna Sy what her pet project is and — no pun intended — the answer is pets.

The third-generation Sy, now senior assistant vice president for marketing and leasing at SM Supermalls, has worked on programs ranging from children’s talent competitions to spelling bees. But the one closest to her heart involves making the family mall empire a little friendlier to fur babies.

“Pet initiatives are close to home for me because I have pets myself, and I know firsthand how much fur babies are a beloved part of families,” Sy told Rappler in an interview. “That’s really the thinking behind the SM Super Pets Club.”

Of course, behind all the fondness for our four-legged friends is a compelling business case, too.

“Regarding our customer segment size, the pet community is rapidly growing into one of the top performing groups,” Sy said.

Sy told Rappler that while SM’s active lifestyle “tribe” still generates more foot traffic, pet owners tend to spend more per visit and stay longer at the mall. That makes them one of SM’s more lucrative and fast-growing customer communities.

It only makes sense then that SM is making space for them. (READ: ‘Cookie-cutter’ no more? SM Nuvali to open November 27 with 1-hectare indoor garden)

A changing station for your fur baby

One of the newer additions is a pet changing station at The Podium, essentially a dedicated area near restrooms where owners can clean and freshen up their pets in the middle of a mall trip.

“We’ve also introduced Pet Changing Stations, which began in SM Podium, to give pet owners a space to freshen up their pets,” Sy said. 

For now, The Podium serves as the flagship for the concept, but SM is already looking at possibly bringing it to their other malls. And if Sy gets her way, future versions could become a whole room rather than just a small changing area.

“When I first helped develop the pet program, my vision was to build an ecosystem rather than just a loyalty program,” she told Rappler on Friday, September 11.

For Sy, the programs are also a way of putting her own stamp on the family business. Carrying the Sy surname, after all, means inevitably carrying the legacy of “Tatang” — SM founder Henry Sy Sr. (READ: Dear You, and the stories of love and migration the Filipino-Chinese pass down)

“At the end of the day, I’m more than just the granddaughter of Tatang, or more than just the daughter of my dad,” Sy said during a recent fireside chat with the media. “But you know, I can also contribute in my own ways.”

SM already has 34 active Paw Parks nationwide, which are fenced-off spaces in the mall where pets can play and socialize. SM Megamall also recently revamped its Paw Park as the company continues updating the spaces.

In other news, SM has been changing its malls to suit particular communities and experiences. It now has 22 running hubs and 102 pickleball courts, while SM Aura is getting two tennis courts and will turn its grand staircase into a library. And when SM Harrison Plaza opens by the end of 2027, it will have an entire floor dedicated to Gen Zs — only fitting for a mall within walking distance of several schools, whose students SM expects will be looking for a new place to hang out after class. – Rappler.com