What: SM subsidiary 2GO demonstrates its commitment to marine preservation through coastal cleanup events.

Why it is important: Hundreds of employees across 15 sites throughout the country came together for International Coastal Cleanup Day by staging their own activities.

SM Mall of Asia also held an activity for cleanup led by SM Cares, the corporate responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings.

SM participates in coastal cleanup

What: Galeries Lafayette releases a film advertisement for television and online featuring the magasin du boulevard Haussman location.

Why it is important: The commercial marks a return to television advertisements and a shift in marketing tactics.

The one-minute ad remains in line with the shorter video formats reportedly a necessary length to retain customer attention while incorporating a cinematic style of commercial advertising rarely seen today. The ad features the iconic architecture of the Galeries Lafayette grand magasin located on boulevard Haussman in Paris. The video uses darker lighting and graphic editing to create a whimsical journey through the store and e-commerce site.

Galeries Lafayette returns to TV ads

What:  Due to increased costs, Falabella's Q2 earnings reports showed a 51.7% drop year-over-year for net profit.

Why it is important: Falabella cites margin pressures in Chile and increased expenses caused by both local and global complex scenarios having affected the net profit for the company.

Additional expenses related to the "development of capacities" across digital platforms have also contributed to the year-over-year decrease. The financial report noted currency variations as a key factor in the profit drop as well.

The company's profit for the quarter was 65.12 billion pesos (70.8 million USD), and its second-quarter net revenue grew 16.1% to 3.08 trillion pesos (3.3 billion USD). Falabella's EBITDA fell 31.7% to 245 billion pesos in the quarter, missing the Refinitiv forecast of 316 billion pesos.

Falabella Q2 reports -51.7% for net profit 

What: SM Investments Corporation has been awarded the title of 'Hall of Famer' for the category of Corporate Governance by the Asia Responsible Enterprise Awards 2022 (AREA).

Why it is important: The award recognizes SM Investments' transparency in reporting governance practices in their annual report, while also safeguarding integrity in financial reporting, promoting ethical decision making, respecting the rights of shareholders and renumerating fairly and responsibly.

AREA is the most prominent CSR recognition program across Asia initiated by Enterprise Asia. As a company that touches many different industries in the Philippines, the honour reinforces the efforts made toward CSR and sustainability by SM Investments Corporation.

SM joins Good Governance Hall of Fame

What: Alpha Southeast Asia magazine awards released its 12th Annual Institutional Investor Poll for which SM ranked in the top tiers across four categories.

Why it is important: SM won the number one placement for 'Most Organised Investor Relations' and 'Strongest Adherence to Corporate Governance' both of which the company has won in past years, its eleventh and eighth wins respectively.

The awards are based on a poll of industry votes from more than 557 investors and analysts across Southeast Asia as well as the US and Europe.  In addition to the number ranking in the previously mentioned categories, the company also ranked among the top for 'Best Senior Management IR Support' and 'Most Consistent Dividend Policy.'

The awards recognize SM's commitment and understanding of the importance of good corporate governance practices for long-term growth, sustainability and success.

SM wins 4 awards 

What: The Mall Group and Siam Commercial Bank celebrate the 4th anniversary of the SCB M Visa card for clients.

Why it is important: The Mall Group is celebrating a successful four-year-long partnership with SCB in which customers have been able to receive benefits from their SCB M Visa card.

In celebration, the Mall Group is rewarding customers by offering an array of discounts and promotions for card users to redeem points and win prizes.

The Mall Group celebrates 4th anniversary of SCB partnership

What: The Manor Cultural Prize 2023 announces the seven winners whose exhibitions will be presented across the cantons of Switzerland next year.

Why it is important: Manor is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the contemporary art award, the Prix Culturel Manor, which highlights emerging artists in painting, sculpture, video art, photography, performance, installations and more.

Seven museums in seven different cantons have deliberated and announced the winners. The Kunstmuseum Basel selected local visual artist Gina Folly. Geneva's Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MAMCO) selected the artist Lou Masduraud.  In Graubünden at the Bündner Kunstmuseum in Chur, the artist Linda Semadeni was selected. The Kunstmuseum in Saint-Gall will exhibit the first solo exhibition of the artist Juliette Uzor. At the Museum zu Allerheiligen in Schaffhausen, Reto Müller was selected for the award. The Valais Art Museum in the city of Sion will host an exhibition by the artist Aurélie Strumans. Finally, the canton of Zurich's Kunst Museum Winterthur selected Jan Vorisek whose exhibition will be accompanied by the artists first publication.

In 2023, the exhibitions will be displayed across Switzerland to uplift emerging artists and enrich Swiss culture.

Manor announces 2023 Cultural Prize winners

What: El Palacio de Hierro releases a film commercial with futuristic visuals to demonstrate the mindset and goals of the company.

Why it is important: As AR and VR grow, El Palacio de Hierro has released a commercial expressing their mission to be a future-forward company.

The commercial is set on a spaceship and features a man and a woman using holograms and virtual technology to try on and materialize different apparel items and accessories. Some examples include a hologram of different constellations turning into diamond earrings and a laser placing holographic eyeliner onto a woman's eyes. While the visuals are done by special effects the products are part of the real assortment of El Palacio de Hierro.

The campaign is comprised of the film advertisement and a lookbook of cool-toned images also set on the imagined space 'palace'. There are also behind-the-scenes images and a short video showing how the department store accomplished the filming of the commercial.

Finally, the campaign encourages social media interaction with the hashtag #ElFuturoEsUnPalacio which means 'The Future is a Palace.'

El Palacio de Hierro's futuristic commercial campaign

What: SM Investments Corporation reported its consolidated net income increased 27% to PHP25.5 billion in the January to June period from PHP20.1 billion in the same period last year.

Why it is important: Despite inflation, consumer spending across all categories and formats along with increased foot traffic as restrictions lowered led to SM Retail reporting revenues of PHP163.7 billion, an increase of 18% from PHP138.2 billion in the same period last year.

Retail net income was higher by 91%, PHP7.0 billion from PHP3.6 billion in the previous period, benefitting from cost reductions and efficiencies across all formats. Renewed interest in shopping for fashion-related items and dining out in mall restaurants increased foot traffic.

Over the past six months ending in June 2022, SM Retail and its affiliates added 147 stores. This brought the total number of stores to 3,336 (69 SM Stores, 1,543 Specialty Retail, 62 SM Supermarket, 52 SM Hypermarket, 214 Savemore, 1,320 Alfamart and 75 WalterMart stores).

Total assets were at PHP1.4 trillion. The gearing ratio stood at 39% net debt to 61% equity. In terms of net earnings, banks accounted for 48%, followed by property at 26%, retail at 20% and portfolio investments at 6%. Consolidated revenues rose 23% to PHP238.5 billion in the first half from PHP193.5 billion in the same period last year.

SM Retail reports 91% increase in net income

What: Breuninger is one of three retailers to be the first selected by COS' as part of their new wholesale strategy.

Why it is important: COS has expanded into wholesale for the first time partnering with Breuninger to expand their reach in Europe through the retailer's e-commerce platform. Breuninger will be able to improve their online range with this unique long-term partnership.

Starting in October, a selected assortment of the COS collections will be available on breuninger.com in a total of nine European markets - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain and Italy.

Breuninger to carry COS online

What: Galeries Lafayette is giving out 3 exclusive digital wearables in a drawing that will take place on social media.

Why it is important: NTFs are revolutionizing the fashion world allowing for endless virtual opportunities.

In partnership with EGONLAB and Arianee, Galeries Lafayette has launched a contest in win 3 different digital wearables: a wonder bow, bubble shirt, and mushroom boots. Winners will be able to "wear" these items in immersive worlds such as The Sandbox Or Decentraland. This opportunity allows winners to take advantage of unique perks like direct push messages to their wallets, evolutive metadata on Polygon Technology with time stamp features, and Ethereum wallet access from the Arianee app. This new digital fashion trend is more fun, interactive, unique, and makes everything and anything possible in the metaverse playground.

Galeries Lafayette introduces digital fashion 

What: The Mall Group was honored for their entrepreneurial excellence by the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards 2022.

Why it is important: The Mall Group received two awards from the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards (APEA) 2022. The Mall Group was awarded two titles, the Corporate Excellence Award and the Inspirational Brand Award, for the retail category. These awards highlight the Mall Group's successful management and excellence in the category of retail. The Inspirational Design Award specifically celebrates the Mall Group's ability to create or reform a brand. The Mall Group acknowledges their commitment to customers as a contributor to having received this recognition.

The Mall Group receives 2 awards 

What: El Palacio de Hierro ends the first six months of 2022 with a 36% increase in sales.

Why it is important: Thanks to their omnichannel strategy, El Palacio de Hierro has seen impressive increases in the group's turnover and online sales post-pandemic.

The company's EBITDA stood at 2,495 million pesos (119.1 million euros) in the period, 133% more than in the same period of 2021 and 8% above the first half of 2021. Digital sales rose 31% in the first six months of 2022.

El Palacio de Hierro ended the 2021 financial year with year-over-year growth in sales of 46.4% exceeding the level of sales prior to the pandemic by 6.2%.

El Palacio de Hierro beats pre-pandemic sales

What: Shareholders vote to pass all motions tabled by the board in 2021, notably approval of the 2021 management report, financial statements, non-financial statements and earnings appropriation.

Why it is important: The Annual General Meeting highlighted El Corte Inglés' 22% increase in revenue for FY21 and decreased debt thanks to cash flow improvements and agreements made with new partners. This is the group's lowest level of debt since 2007.

Ignacio Garralda, chairman of Grupo Mutua, attended the Annual General Meeting for the first time as director. The deal reached between the two companies, effective as of May, included the insurance company taking a seat on the El Corte Inglés board (representative of Mutua's 8% stake and purchase of 51% of El Corte Inglés Insurance Group). Shareholders also ratified Javier Rodríguez-Arias's appointment to the El Corte Inglés board via co-option.

The retail business was again the Group's main growth engine, with fashion sales jumping 49%. Also delivering healthy increases were home (+15%) and electronics, culture and leisure (+11.5%). The Annual General Meeting overall highlighted a positive horizon for El Corte Inglés with the means to execute plans for future investments and reach sustainability goals.

El Corte Inglés' positive outlook at Annual General Meeting 

What: HuellaChile awards Falabella with a seal of "Quantification and Reduction" for reducing their CO2 emissions for the last mile shipment by 45 tons.

Why it is important: The certification recognizes Falabella's electromobility project that the company developed for home deliveries and launched in 2021 in an effort to reach carbon neutrality.

Falabella has been working on reducing their environmental impact since 2016. Their climate change goals are incorporated into the corporate strategy which has led to the ability to quantify 100% of their facilities. Specifically, the Falabella electromobility project certified by HuellaChile used 29 electric vehicles for last-mile dispatches. Charging centres will also be installed in the distribution centres that come from renewable energy so that the entire shipping process is carbon neutral.

Now Falabella has 68 vehicles operating for home delivery in the Metropolitan Region, Temuco, Talca, Concepción, Valparaíso and La Serena.

Falabella recognized for CO2 reduction

What: Breuninger creates a temporary SIMPLON experience in their Munich department store.

Why it is important: Breuninger's collaboration with SIMPLON can be seen as a method of addressing the wellness trend through an immersive and curatorial experience for customers that focuses on personalized sports equipment.

Until August 8th, customers can visit the Munich location and experience the advanced technology of Austrian biking company SIMPLON. Clients have the possibility to adapt their own sports bike exactly to their body measurements using a 3D body analysis system on site. The Edition Bikes are also available with selected equipment for certain models that can be obtained from any SIMPLON dealer.

Breuninger's priority to deliver innovative and creative value to its customers is clearly demonstrated through this interactive experience that offers premium handcrafted bikes and biking equipment developed by SIMPLON.

Breuninger partners with Simplon bikes 

What: Juan Luis Mingo will step down as general manager of Falabella Retail Chile to be succeeded by Tomás Platovsky.

Why it is important: After eight years of working as general manager of Falabella Retail Chile, Jaun Luis Mingo is stepping down and generating surprise within the company as he has been an important manager responsible for the firm's transformation in recent years.

Luckily, the experienced executive will be succeeded by another Falabella veteran, Tomás Platovsky. Platovsky is a commercial engineer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He has been working as the Corporate Commercial Manager since 2017.

Platovsky has 15 years of experience working for Falabella; starting as Brand Manager in the sports department moving to the manager of Stand Alone and has held positions as manager of the Eastern Zone of Santiago and Commercial manager in Chile.

General Manager changes for Falabella

What: The Manor department store group is the main partner of the 75th Locarno Festival giving The Leopard of Honor "Pardo d'onore to independent screenwriter and director Kelly Reichardt.

Why it is important: In the "Locarno Boutique by Manor", visitors will find many items that can create beautiful memories that celebrate the Locarno Film Festival and Manor's contribution this year.

The Locarno Film Festival enjoys international renown and is a very special event in Switzerland.  Manor is proud to award the "Pardo d'onore" Leopard of Honor to an original and independent voice of American cinema, screenwriter Kelly Reichardt.

Clients of Manor can buy memorabilia from the event at the Locarno Boutique by Manor. A few privileges are reserved for holders of the Manor loyalty card: for example, a welcome on the terrace of the Manor department store in Locarno, with an exceptional view of the Piazza Grande, for extraordinary cinema evenings.

Manor presents award at the 75th Locarno Film Festival

What: Lifestyle International's 2022 interim results show decreased revenue and gross sales numbers caused by continued closures in the wake of the fifth wave of COVID-19. For the period under review, the Group's total gross sales proceeds dropped by 11.7% and revenue decreased by 12.8%

Why it is important: Consumer confidence severely affected by continued health restrictions, economic contraction and labour market issues has created a daunting operation environment for Lifestyle International Holdings.

Foot traffic naturally fell because of discouraged consumers, lowering sales for the SOGO flagship and SOGO Tsim Sha Tsui. The group maintains a sober pessimism about the market in Hong Kong. And the board of directors has decided to exclude the payment of an interim dividend.

The group will continue developing omnichannel strategies with increased digital focus to respond to the changing retail landscape.

Lifestyle International Holdings hard hit by COVID

What: The Mall's "Welcome to Bangkok Shopping Festival"

Why it is important: Post-Covid and hopping to draw in a new generation of shoppers, the festival celebrates workers back to full working mode as well as the country fully open again.

At a time when the economy is starting to turn around and tourists are returning, 7 leading national shopping centers, The Mall and The Mall Life Store, The Emporium, The Emquartier, Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery organized the event to stimulate the economy, attract tourists, and welcome people back to office working mode.

The Mall celebrates life back to normal

What: Falabella's omnichannel distribution centre has increased its infrastructure by 20,000 square metres.

Why it is important: Falabella has increased its distribution capacity by 50% with increased inventory space and improved automation all while maintaining their sustainability strategy.

The changes made to Falabella's distribution centre will enable the ability to triple the capacity of their e-commerce operation in the coming years. The capacity increase also leads to reduced response time and a greater ability to meet customer needs through improved order processing.

In addition to the spatial expansion, the warehouse improved its automation with 132 more 'Shuttle' robots, automatic packaging machines and environmentally friendly packaging. Finally, Falabella constructed an annexed building dedicated to the storage of perfume improving inventory capacity and product longevity.

The new facilities meet sustainability requirements, including LEED Gold certification from the US Green Building Council.

Falabella increases distribution capacity by 50%

What: Falabella announced the launch of the new collection "Americanino Upcycling" made up of unique models of jeans made from reused clothing.

Why it is important: Falabella is recycling their own waste from samples and scraps to create a new collection of jeans for their Americanino line. Each piece will be designed and fabricated by Falabella samplers and modelers near its Mavesa clothing factory.

Falabella presents Americanino Upcycling

What: El Palacio de Hierro has been recognized for the eighth consecutive year as a "Socially Responsible Company", a distinction that honors those companies that have made a public commitment to integrate corporate social responsibility guidelines into their everyday policies and practices.

Why it is important: El Palacio de Hierro is recognized again for their commitment and efforts by receiving the "Socially Responsible Company" distinction granted by the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (Cemefi) and the Alliance for Corporate Social Responsibility (AliaRSE). El Palacio de Hierro has continually supported their community and employees by carrying out different activities.

For LGBT+ Pride month, El Palacio de Hierro organised photographic experiences for clients and increased awareness and education webinars for their employees. El Palacio de Hierro has also held initiatives around International Women's Day, highlighting the importance of their female workforce by holding virtual conferences with themes of leadership, empowerment, and female health led by experts. El Palacio de Hierro has prioritized health and safety by having vaccination days to protect their employees.

El Palacio de Hierro awarded the 'Socially Responsible Company' distinction

What: Galeries Lafayette invites the picture-book heroine Martine to its flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris in an all-new hardback, 'Martine aux Galeries Lafayette.'

Why it is important: Galeries Lafayette is thrilled to invite picture-book heroine Martine to browse around the aisles of its flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann in Paris, in a new volume published by Casterman, Martine aux Galeries Lafayette.

This previously-unreleased book starring Martine will be sold exclusively at Galeries Lafayette Haussmann and in the French network of Galeries Lafayette department stores, starting July 1, 2022. It will transport readers to Paris's most emblematic department store through its heroine's eyes, with an intimist perspective on entirely unknown areas in the store, which provide the backdrop for exciting historical anecdotes.

Martine at the Galeries Lafayette