Social exclusion should have no place in the world, and we aim to make a difference through the engagement and impact that can achieved by our business units. We are committed to creating initiatives that have a positive impact on society and bring benefits to the majority.
We are building capabilities and cultivating long-term alliances that will contribute to improving the living conditions within Falabella’s local communities.
We have five social investment objectives driven by the diverse nature of our businesses:
Strengthen and improve the educational development of children and adolescents, which is fundamental to improving their skills, reducing learning gaps and promoting social integration (Falabella Retail and Tottus).
Improve living conditions within our local communities (Sodimac).
Contribute to financial literacy and inclusion within local communities, in order to encourage inclusive economic growth (Falabella Financiero).
Promote entrepreneurial development by providing them with knowledge and job opportunities (Mallplaza).
Engage with neighbors, social organizations and state communal agencies that develop recreational and educational activities promoting entrepreneurship, culture and healthy living, yet always tailored to the local context (Falabella Inmobiliario and Mallplaza).
We use a community investment model based on three pillars to achieve our social objectives:
-Community investment: this encompasses all our activities and programs designed to strategically address social issues, where we prioritize those that are closely related to our experience and core business. They are usually managed in partnership with a community organization.
-Donations: these are all our voluntary donations of money, goods or services. They respond to specific needs, requests or emergency situations.
-Commercial initiatives: these are activities carried out by commercial departments to promote our brands and corporate identity, in association with and benefiting community organizations.
Check out our Community Investment Programs!
“Haciendo Escuela” Program:
Falabella Retail aims to build a better future for children and their families through the Haciendo Escuela program, which provides comprehensive support to schools near its stores, distribution centers and head office, and it actively involves its employees. The program has been rolled out in Chile, Peru, Colombia and Argentina and has four objectives:
- Fundamental Academic: to develop programs that encourage reading among 1st grade students.
- Broadening Horizons: to awaken the interest of students and inspire them through games and extracurricular activities, such as sports, healthy eating, music, environmental care and responsible finance.
- Digital Accessibility and Infrastructure: to allocate resources that provide each school community with sufficient learning facilities both at school and at home.
- Volunteering: to provide opportunities for Falabella employees to get involved in school communities.
Check out some of the latest activities in this program
Draw and Paint: a contest that involved 18 schools in this program, where students submitted their creations within the categories of love, joy, games, flora and fauna. Four illustrations were selected for the new collection of sneakers and T-shirts for Yamp!, which is Falabella Retail's own apparel brand.
Further information can be found here.
Murals for Chile: a project created by Falabella Retail and Sodimac, with support from the Antenna Foundation and the San Miguel Cielo Abierto Museum, which has extensive experience in developing street art in public areas. It will take mural painting to eight schools in various Chilean regions. Outstanding muralists will produce creative, genuine and collective murals at schools in the program, which reflect the interests of the community.
Further information can be found here.
“Crecer Sano” Grow Healthily with Tottus
Tottus Chile contributes to healthy nutrition among children and their families in its local communities, which is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal that promotes healthy living and universal well-being. Therefore, it has focused on educating children from kindergarten through to 4th grade at municipal schools near its stores since 2014, together with voluntary support from the company's employees.
All the recommendations provided by the program can be found at the crecer sano website!
Building Dream Homes
This is Sodimac's collaborative and participatory community engagement program, which provides the materials to implement improvement projects at the facilities of various organizations. The company's employees voluntarily work along side the community on each project.
Which can entail repairing, remodeling or improving a community facility. Sodimac provides and transports the materials and its employees voluntarily provide the labor, which is fundamental to achieving a collaborative and participatory project with local communities. It has created an advisory council comprised of company directors and leaders of social organizations, who participate in the overall evaluation and ensure that the program is correctly implemented. They provide advice on the main issues that affect these organizations and their relationship with Sodimac.
The Building Dream Homes began 14 years ago and since then it has implemented 788 projects with the support of over 15,000 volunteers, which have directly helped over 198,000 people.
Check out some of the testimonials
Further testimonials can be found here
Financial Literacy
Falabella Financiero has incorporated financial literacy into its corporate strategy, under the conviction that a more informed society is more responsible and empowered to manage its personal finances. It gives thousands of families in Latin America access to financial services as a result of its commitment to financial inclusion, and it implements initiatives that teach financial literacy to customers, employees, children and society in general.
Eddu's financial literacy program teaches the basic concepts and provides advice on managing personal finances using a platform where users can find information on financial products and transaction security, together with guidance on significant transactions. This website also provides online courses on fraud, responsible borrowing, investments and savings.
Check out an example of how Eddu explains credit card payment methods here!
Further information about the program can be found here.
Entrepreneurship and local employment program
Mallplaza has developed an entrepreneurial model that integrates its community, commercial and innovation policies, in order to develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem. It has developed a bottom-up development model for entrepreneurs based on the company's commercial strategies and it has developed mechanisms that enable them to improve their performance.
The recent “Plaza Emprende” meeting reviewed all the activities carried out in 2021. We had a panel discussion, where 4 entrepreneurs from Chile, Peru and Colombia shared their experiences working with Plaza Emprende. Finally, Eduardo de la Iglesia is a Chilean entrepreneur and television personality, and he recounted how his business helped him to overcome the effects of the pandemic: De la Iglesia Sour.
Community Engagement
Mallplaza aims to create shared value and long-term relationships with the communities that neighbor its shopping centers, which is an objective that will develop and strengthen the company. Open Plaza aims to create public meeting venues, by swiftly establishing links with local institutions and communities. This is based on a community engagement model that gives life to a recreational and educational program that promotes entrepreneurship, culture and healthy living.
Strategic Alliances
The best way to achieve effective social investment is by developing strategic alliances. Accordingly, we collaborate with social organizations to address common challenges where they can take the lead. In 2021 these organizations included:
- América Solidaria: it contributes to developing equal opportunities and overcoming child poverty across the continent.
"Children face many difficult challenges, but our experience has taught us that when we work together with dedication, we can transform their lives. This explains why Falabella Financiero's contribution to our foundation is so important. It enables us to reach many children and to publicize the urgency of getting involved". Magdalena Valdés, Executive Director of América Solidaria.
- Techo: we support this organization with various donations, construction materials, logistical support, volunteer work and technical advice.
- Fe y Alegría: awe support this network of schools that provide study and training opportunities to the poorest sectors of society.
- Corporación María Ayuda: we support this organization with various initiatives such as recreational activities, containment and training.
- Corporación Abriendo Puertas: we contribute to their social and labor reintegration programs for women deprived of liberty.
- Fundación Junto al Barrio: we contribute to various neighborhoods to strengthen community leaders and organizations, and improve the quality of urban areas.
- Red de Alimentos y Banco de Alimentos: we donate consumer products that these organizations distribute to those who most need them.
Corporate Volunteering
We encourage our employees to voluntarily participate in social initiatives linked to our business lines that create value for the community and our company. Corporate volunteering is a principal focus for local community engagement, which benefits both our employees and our surrounding communities. We provide our employees with opportunities that make them feel proud of the company and committed to their local communities.