CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Shopping mall operator SM Prime Holdings will fill up its shopping complex here with shops for the upscale market.

But Danilo B. Chavez, assistant vice-president for Visayas and Mindanao operations, said the company still has no plans to expand SM City Cagayan de Oro, unlike Limketkai shopping complex, its top competitor here.

Instead, he said, the company will encourage ‘upmarket’ shops from Metro Manila to cater to the A and B consumers. ‘We will fill up this mall with upscale locators that are unique to this city,’ said Mr. Chavez.

There are a number of food establishments considering opening shops here, he said. ‘People will go to this mall because you won’t find the tenants located here anywhere but only in SM City,’ Mr. Chavez said.

Although the mall wants the A and B market, all else will follow. “We are still 30% unique in terms of our locators. We are aiming to be 60% unique in the next few months,�? said Bienvenido Paul C. Ferrer III, SM City mall manager.

A marketing study conducted in November, he said, found out consumers want unique and upscale stores, shops and food establishments. “The bulk of our shoppers here are women,�? added Mr. Ferrer. “We also have to cater to the market,�? he said.

This city’s uptown Lumbia area where SM City is located hosts a number of posh subdivisions and golf clubs. Homeowners have at least one member of the family working overseas. Some expatriates also live there.

Mr. Ferrer said one challenge is to bring in 40,000 people everyday. “For now, we are bringing in 18,000 to 25,000 people per day,�? said Mr. Ferrer.

SM Prime intends to build up to four malls every year, with plans afoot for malls in General Santos and Zamboanga.