Gaisano Mall of Cebu

Gaisano Mall of Cebu, also branded as GMall of Cebu, is a super-regional shopping mall in Cebu City, Philippines. It is located at the former White Gold Center site in the North Reclamation Area and is owned and managed by DSG Sons Group, Inc., the company behind the Gaisano Malls chain. The project marked the group's entry into Cebu under the GMall name and its first GMall development outside Mindanao. The mall is part of a longer retail history associated with the Gaisano family in Cebu. The family's commercial roots trace back to White Gold Department Store, established in 1933 by Modesta Singson-Gaisano. The business later moved to Osmeña Boulevard and, after a series of subsequent relocations, became associated with the White Gold Club in the Cebu North Reclamation Area. The Gaisano family's retail interests eventually separated into different business groups. David Gaisano, the eldest of the five sons, retained control of White Gold and developed the business that became DSG Sons Group, Inc. DSG Sons Group was formed in 1994 through the merger of White Gold Inc. and Gaisano Inc. The group subsequently expanded its mall operations in Mindanao through the Gaisano Malls brand. Plans to establish a Gaisano mall in Cebu had existed since the late 1990s, but an earlier proposed development near Cebu Institute of Technology along Natalio Bacalso Avenue was abandoned in the aftermath of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The present mall was created through the redevelopment of the former White Gold Club. The club ceased operations on June 30, 2018, and the site was cleared for conversion into a full-service shopping mall. Construction and redevelopment took longer than initially anticipated after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the project. Gaisano Mall of Cebu ultimately opened to the public on December 1, 2022. At opening, its principal anchor tenants were GMarket, the group's supermarket format, and GStore, its department-store format. The mall's offering combines food and grocery retail, general merchandise, apparel, household goods, services, dining, and entertainment-oriented mall amenities. Its location in the North Reclamation Area places it within Cebu City's expanding commercial and urban redevelopment zone. The mall also remains connected to the history of the former White Gold properties. On December 10, 2022, shortly after the new mall opened, the ruins of the old White Gold Department Store site in Barangay Tejero collapsed. No casualties were reported. This incident concerned the older abandoned structure rather than the operating Gaisano Mall of Cebu. The mall itself is an active retail destination and represents DSG Sons Group's renewed presence in the Cebu market.

Gaisano Mall of Cebu is the Cebu City realization of a retail lineage that began with White Gold Department Store. Modesta Singson-Gaisano established the original White Gold business in 1933. It later moved in 1946 to what is now Osmeña Boulevard, becoming part of the commercial history of Cebu. The family's retail interests changed direction after Modesta Singson-Gaisano's death in 1981. Her five sons—David, Stephen, Henry, Victor, and John—pursued separate business paths and developed distinct retail chains. David Gaisano, the eldest, retained control of White Gold and built the business that became DSG Sons Group, Inc. The group later operated malls in Mindanao under the Gaisano Malls, or GMall, brand. The White Gold business experienced several disruptions before the present mall was developed. A White Gold location on Juan Luna Street was destroyed by fire in 1974 and remained closed for several years. In 1979, the business relocated and reopened at B. Benedicto Street, near General Maxilom Avenue and G. Gaisano Street, in Barangay Tejero. Another fire in 1989 temporarily interrupted operations, but the business resumed after several months. A further fire in 1997 led to the permanent closure and abandonment of that location. The business then moved to nearby A. Soriano Street in the Cebu North Reclamation Area and relaunched as White Gold Club. The corporate structure supporting the later mall expansion was formed in 1994, when White Gold Inc. and Gaisano Inc. were merged into WGI Gaisano Inc., now known as DSG Sons Group, Inc. The merger provided a platform for broader expansion. The group had considered bringing the Gaisano mall format to Cebu in the late 1990s, including a proposed site along Natalio Bacalso Avenue beside Cebu Institute of Technology. That proposal was abandoned in the wake of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. White Gold Club continued operating at the North Reclamation Area site until June 30, 2018. Its closure initiated a redevelopment project intended to transform the property into a full-service shopping mall and establish the GMall brand in Cebu. The redevelopment took longer than originally planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic. After approximately four years of redevelopment, Gaisano Mall of Cebu opened on December 1, 2022. The opening represented an important geographic step for DSG Sons Group: it was the first mall under the GMall brand in Cebu and the first such development outside Mindanao. The mall opened with GMarket as its supermarket anchor and GStore as its department-store anchor, extending the group's integrated retail model into Cebu's urban market. A separate event shortly after opening drew attention to the site's historical connection with White Gold. On December 10, 2022, the ruins of the old White Gold Department Store in Barangay Tejero collapsed at approximately 4:20 p.m. No casualties were reported. The incident involved the remains of the former store rather than the newly opened Gaisano Mall of Cebu. The mall continues to operate as a contemporary shopping destination in Cebu City's North Reclamation Area.

• 2022

  Gaisano Mall of Cebu opens

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  The mall opened on December 1 with GMarket and GStore as its principal anchor stores.

• 2018

  White Gold Club closes for redevelopment

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  White Gold Club ceased operations on June 30, clearing the North Reclamation Area site for redevelopment as a Gaisano mall.

• 1997

  White Gold's Tejero location closes permanently

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  A second fire caused the permanent closure and abandonment of the Tejero location. The business moved to A. Soriano Street and relaunched as White Gold Club.

• 1994

  White Gold Inc. and Gaisano Inc. merge

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  The companies merged under WGI Gaisano Inc., later known as DSG Sons Group, Inc., to support nationwide expansion.

• 1989

  White Gold is temporarily disrupted by fire

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  A fire affected the Tejero location, but operations resumed several months later.

• 1981

  Gaisano family businesses separate

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  Following the death of Modesta Singson-Gaisano, her five sons pursued separate retail businesses. David Gaisano retained White Gold.

• 1979

  White Gold reopens in Barangay Tejero

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  The business relocated to B. Benedicto Street near General Maxilom Avenue and G. Gaisano Street.

• 1974

  Juan Luna Street location is destroyed by fire

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  A White Gold location on Juan Luna Street was engulfed by fire and closed for several years.

• 1946

  White Gold relocates to Osmeña Boulevard

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  The White Gold business moved to a location along what is now Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City.

• 1933

  White Gold Department Store is established

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org

  Modesta Singson-Gaisano established the White Gold Department Store, the historical retail predecessor associated with the Gaisano Mall of Cebu project.

A full-service, super-regional shopping mall serving Cebu City and surrounding communities, with grocery and department-store anchors supported by general retail, dining, services, and mall amenities.

• Supermarket · 2022

  GMarket

  GMarket is the supermarket anchor at Gaisano Mall of Cebu. It provides the mall's core grocery and everyday-needs offer, complementing the mall's non-food retail and making the complex relevant for routine household shopping as well as destination visits.

• Department store · 2022

  GStore

  GStore is the department-store anchor introduced at the mall's opening. Its role is to provide broad general merchandise within the Gaisano retail format, including categories such as apparel, household goods, and other consumer products, although the available reference material does not provide a complete department-by-department inventory.

• Shopping mall · 2022

  Gaisano Mall of Cebu

  The mall itself is a full-service, super-regional retail complex combining anchor stores with general merchandise, food, dining, services, and other shopping-mall amenities. It serves Cebu City and the surrounding market from its North Reclamation Area location.

• 2018

  Redevelop White Gold Club as a GMallStrategy

  Background

  DSG Sons Group sought to convert the former White Gold Club property in Cebu's North Reclamation Area into a full-service shopping mall. The move revived the group's long-standing interest in establishing a Gaisano mall in Cebu.

  Action taken

  White Gold Club was closed and the site was redeveloped under the Gaisano Malls brand. The project was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately opened in December 2022.

  Aftermath

  The completed development became the group's first GMall in Cebu and its first GMall outside Mindanao, with GMarket and GStore as its opening anchors.

  Source

1. 1Gaisano Mall of Cebuen.wikipedia.org