Sustainability

For the Group, economic growth must go hand in hand with the creation of social and environmental value, and with a profound commitment to the community. In 2014, the Falabella Group received several acknowledgements with regards to this commitment, both at the consolidated level and at each one of its companies. In addition, each business unit participates in programs and projects that benefit the communities located near its stores and shopping centers, with the goal of contributing to their development and quality of life.

During 2014, the PROhumana Corporate Sustainability Ranking commended several of the Group’s companies in Chile on this matter. Falabella Retail attained the ranking’s highest distinction, the Platinum seal, which was granted for the first time and which was only granted to four companies in the country. Mall Plaza and Sodimac were also acknowledged, ranking sixth – improving by two positions since 2013 – and tenth, respectively.

As the Group continues to grow in the region, special consideration needs to be taken in order for the construction, design, maintenance and operation of its stores and shopping centers to be ecologically friendly. In 2014, the US Green Building Council acknowledged the new Tottus in Miraflores, in Peru, with a LEED certification. Falabella also received its second LEED certification for the volume of its commercial interiors. Sodimac, meanwhile, obtained the Platinum LEED certification for its Homecenter Tintal store in Colombia – the first certification of this kind for a store in Latin America, and only the seventh worldwide. Furthermore, Mall Plaza Copiapo was inaugurated in Chile and is in the LEED certification process; this shopping center is considered a pioneer in sustainable construction in the north of Chile, as the project adopted specific measures for the efficient use of water. This year, all of Mall Plaza’s shopping centers in Chile obtained the ISO 50001 Energy Efficiency Certification and the ISO 14001 Environmental Management Recertification. Open Plaza built in Pucallpa the first emissions-neutral shopping center in Peru, through the acquisition of carbon credits to neutralize the impact on the environment of the emissions produced during construction.

With regards to the Company’s waste management, Sodimac Chile implemented a National Network of Puntos Limpios, which consists in 15 centers where clients can drop off waste for recycling.

In order to maintain a close and trustworthy relationship with customers, the Group must listen and respond to their needs. In 2014 the Group implemented, across all of its companies, a new customer loyalty management system, which is based on recommendations and called Net Promoting Score (NPS). The objective of this tool is to improve customer satisfaction, prioritizing the implementation of the changes and improvements that our customers themselves request.

As part of its 125th anniversary, Falabella Retail celebrated through a series of events with its customers, employees and suppliers, as well as government authorities, trade guilds, business leaders and local communities. Among the most notable events, the Group held a music competition in which all of the schools participating in the Haciendo Escuela program were invited to participate. The finale of this music contest took place in Santiago’s historic Municipal Theater. The events also included an opera and a ballet in the same theater and a Ricky Martin concert held at the National Stadium. Finally, the Group held a special event to honor the suppliers of the department store division and to acknowledge their contribution to Falabella’s growth and development.

Within Sodimac’s community programs, the Sodimac Specialist Network (CES) is an emblematic project which brings together 354 thousand specialized handymen and contractors. One of the more notable events of 2014 was the realization of the second CES Training Fair. This event took place in the Mapocho Station in Santiago. Over 20,000 handymen and contractors attended the event, which offered 210 free courses and had 120 participating companies.

During 2014, Tottus initiated its Healthy Eating Educational Program, with the support of the 5 al Día Corporation and the backing of the Food Nutrition and Technology Institute (INTA) of the University of Chile. The first pilot program project took place in two schools in the municipality of Melipilla. The initiative included various workshops and lectures promoting the development of healthy eating habits, in addition to athletic activities such as trekking and running. The school children’s families are a fundamental part of the program, participating in theoretical, practical and cooking workshops, and encouraged to participate in all additional events.

The Falabella Financiero division continued developing its financial education program during 2014. Further progress was made promoting the Juntos Aprendemos website at the regional level, incorporating financial educational advice in its products and client channels. The second version of the e-learning program was also launched, which provided training for 800 employees throughout the region, and the second financial education tournament was launched in the Haciendo Escuela program, with the participation of 400 students in Chile and 3,000 in Argentina. A pilot program for digital classes on financial education was implemented in the curricula of the schools participating in the Haciendo Escuela Program. The alliance with America Solidaria also made important strides in 2014, given that employee volunteer efforts and a communications campaign helped increase the number of partners to 27,509 from 1,600 the year before.

Lastly, the real estate division worked on various development initiatives in its shopping centers, receiving eight distinctions in the Energy Efficiency Seal from Chile’s Ministry of Energy. Additionally, ANDA Sustainable Brands Awards acknowledged Mall Plaza in the category “Communication that creates conscientiousness regarding sustainability” with regards to its “I am 0% Plastic” campaign, which promoted the use of reusable cloth bags. On the cultural front, Aventura Plaza premiered the musical Snow White in Peru, open to the public free of charge in four shopping centers in the country.