Gaisano Mall of Davao

Gaisano Mall of Davao, commonly branded as GMall of Davao, is a large shopping and entertainment complex in the Bajada area of Davao City, Philippines. It forms part of the Gaisano Malls network operated by DSG Sons Group, Inc. and serves as a broad-based retail, dining, grocery, cinema, and leisure destination for consumers in Davao and the surrounding region. The mall opened on April 20, 1997, initially operating with four floors. It subsequently developed into a six-story complex and became one of the most prominent shopping centers in Mindanao. The property is located along J.P. Laurel Avenue, one of Davao City's principal commercial corridors. Its tenant mix combines a department store, a ground-floor supermarket, restaurants, specialty shops, services, entertainment venues, an arcade, and cinemas. The mall is reported to contain approximately 620 to 700 retail stores and shops, although the exact number can vary as tenants and layouts change. Its cinema facilities include a Red Carpet Theater, a premium movie theater distinguished by leather seating and a more upscale viewing environment. This feature differentiates the mall from many conventional mass-market shopping centers in the city. A major addition to the complex is The Peak, situated on the sixth level. The Peak was developed as an elevated dining and entertainment area and as a competitive response to newer lifestyle-oriented destinations in Davao, including SM City Davao's Annex, SM Lanang's Fountain Court, and Abreeza's higher-end restaurant offerings. The top-level area also houses the studio and transmitter of Monster BT 99.5, an FM radio station operated by Audiovisual Communicators. The combination of restaurants, leisure uses, and media facilities gives the upper level a role beyond conventional retail circulation. For many years, Gaisano Mall of Davao was described as the largest mall in Davao City and in Mindanao. Following the expansion of SM City Davao in 2023, SM City Davao surpassed it in reported total size in 2025. Gaisano Mall of Davao nevertheless remains a major regional retail property and is described as the largest among more than 40 Gaisano malls in the Philippines. Its reported total floor area is approximately 240,605 square meters. The mall has also been the site of several serious incidents. It was among two Davao shopping malls affected by bombings on September 17, 2013, during the period of armed conflict associated with the Zamboanga crisis. The MNLF Davao Regional Command denied responsibility. Several fatal falls and suspected suicides were subsequently reported at the mall and its multistory parking facility, prompting management to install barriers on the fifth floor. A small fire at a Shakey's pizza outlet was reported in April 2019. These incidents form part of the property's public record but do not define its primary commercial role as a large, multi-purpose shopping center.

Gaisano Mall of Davao opened on April 20, 1997, along J.P. Laurel Avenue in the Bajada district of Davao City. It began as a four-floor shopping facility and was developed as part of the expanding Gaisano Malls network associated with DSG Sons Group, Inc. The mall's initial role was that of a conventional department-store-led shopping center, but it later grew into a much larger mixed-use retail and entertainment destination. The completed complex is described as a six-story mall with an estimated total floor area of 240,605 square meters. Its principal commercial components include a department store, a supermarket on the ground floor, restaurants, specialty retailers, service businesses, cinemas, and an arcade. The property has been described as accommodating roughly 620 to 700 stores and shops, with the exact figure changing as tenants and internal layouts are revised. Its scale made it one of the most important retail properties in Davao City and one of the largest in Mindanao. The mall's later development emphasized food, entertainment, and lifestyle uses alongside traditional shopping. The Peak, located on the sixth level, was created as a dining and leisure attraction intended to compete with newer lifestyle areas at other Davao malls. It includes restaurants and also houses the facilities of Monster BT 99.5, an FM radio station operated by Audiovisual Communicators. The property additionally became notable for its Red Carpet Theater, a premium cinema offering with leather seating that was described as unique among Davao shopping malls. For an extended period, Gaisano Mall of Davao was regarded as the largest mall in Davao City and in Mindanao. That position changed after SM City Davao added a 2023 expansion building; by 2025, SM City Davao was reported as larger. Gaisano Mall of Davao remains described as the largest of more than 40 Gaisano malls in the Philippines and continues to operate as a major regional shopping center. The property's history also includes several serious public-safety incidents. It was one of two Davao malls affected by bombings on September 17, 2013, during the wider armed crisis connected with events in Zamboanga. The MNLF Davao Regional Command denied responsibility for the attacks. From 2013 onward, multiple fatal falls and suspected suicides were reported at the mall and its parking structure. Reports identify incidents in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2025. In response to a series of incidents, management installed barriers on the fifth floor. A small fire was also reported at the mall's Shakey's outlet on April 10, 2019. These events prompted safety attention but did not alter the mall's continuing operation as a retail and entertainment complex.

• 2025

  Largest-mall ranking changes

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Davaoen.wikipedia.org

  SM City Davao was reported to have become larger than Gaisano Mall of Davao, ending the latter's long-standing position as the largest mall in Davao City and Mindanao.

• 2023

  Competing mall expands

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Davaoen.wikipedia.org

  SM City Davao completed an expansion building that later contributed to its surpassing Gaisano Mall of Davao in reported total size.

• 2019

  Safety barriers added

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Davaoen.wikipedia.org

  Management installed barriers on the fifth floor after a number of fatal falls and suspected suicides were reported.

• 2013

  Mall affected by bombing

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Davaoen.wikipedia.org

  The mall was one of two Davao shopping centers affected by bombings on September 17 during the Zamboanga armed crisis.

• 1997

  Mall opens

  [1]Gaisano Mall of Davaoen.wikipedia.org

  Gaisano Mall of Davao opened on April 20 with four floors.

A large, full-service regional shopping mall serving mass-market and middle-market consumers in Davao City, with an extensive retail tenant base and additional dining, cinema, arcade, and lifestyle amenities.

• Retail

  Department store

  The mall's department-store anchor provides broad general merchandise, including apparel, household goods, personal items, and other mass-market retail categories. It is a central component of the property's traditional shopping offer and helps draw customers across multiple floors and tenant areas.

• Grocery retail

  Supermarket

  A supermarket on the ground floor serves everyday grocery and household-shopping needs. Its presence gives the mall a recurring convenience function in addition to discretionary shopping, dining, and entertainment.

• Dining and lifestyle destination

  The Peak

  The Peak occupies the mall's top, sixth level and functions as a dining and leisure attraction. It was developed to strengthen the mall's lifestyle positioning and compete with elevated restaurant and entertainment areas at other major Davao shopping centers. The level also accommodates the facilities of Monster BT 99.5.

• Cinema

  Red Carpet Theater

  The Red Carpet Theater is a premium cinema venue located on the mall's upper level. Its distinguishing feature is leather seating and a more luxurious viewing environment than a standard cinema auditorium. It has been identified as the only Red Carpet Theater in Davao City.

• Shopping mall services

  Retail and dining tenant network

  The six-story complex contains approximately 620 to 700 shops, stores, restaurants, and service businesses. The tenant mix spans fashion, food, electronics, household merchandise, personal services, leisure, and other categories typical of a large regional shopping center.

• 2019

  Installation of fifth-floor safety barriersStrategy

  Background

  Several fatal falls and suspected suicides had been reported at the mall over preceding years.

  Action taken

  Mall management installed barriers on the fifth floor as a preventive measure intended to reduce the risk of further fatal incidents.

  Aftermath

  The mall continued operating, with the barriers becoming part of its documented safety response.

  Source

1. 1Gaisano Mall of Davaoen.wikipedia.org