MANILA – SM Prime Holdings Inc. plans to expand across Southeast Asian markets like Thailand and Malaysia to seize the opportunities offered by the forthcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) economic integration.

SM Prime chief financial officer John Ong announced plans to expand outside the Philippines and China during an investors’ conference organized by the Bank of Philippine Islands (BPI).

“Apart from China, because there is certain affiliation in China, but we continue to accept, we continue to receive invitations in other ASEAN countries like Thailand and Malaysia. So we continue to entertain those opportunities and we look at synergy,” Ong said.

He said the company is looking to expand in the businesses the conglomerate is already engaged, particularly malls and residences.

“We continue to entertain those opportunities. We would definitely entertain (these) and we would be glad to go to other areas in ASEAN region,” he added.

With the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), ASEAN will be characterized by free movement of goods, services and investments as well as freer flow of capital and skills.

ASEAN groups Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia.

Ong said the expansion plan is not yet factored in SM Prime’s five-year roadmap to double its income to P32 billion by 2018.

The conglomerate allotted P400 billion in capital expenditures until 2018 to grow its office, mall, leisure, hotel and residential portfolio by two-fold.

It will construct 26 new SM malls and 20 residential projects in the Philippines and six malls in China. SM Prime will also expand its offices, hotels and leisure businesses.

Ong said he expects no change in terms of revenue mix from the current levels, as SM Prime works to double its income.

“We expect that we will continue with the 60 percent revenue contribution coming from our malls, 30 percent coming from our residential and the rest should be coming from our commercial and the hotel and convention centers. In the next four years leading to 2018, we are looking at the same trend in terms of revenues,” he added.