[Sponsored Report] Lotte Department Store gives back

Lotte Department Store holds an inauguration ceremony for “Happy Family, Good Parents” to promote childbirth and prevent child abuse on May 9. [LOTTE DEPARTMENT STORE]

Since adopting the slogan “Lovely Life,” Lotte Department Store has been engaging in various social contribution activities to deliver love and hope to neighbors in need.

On May 9, Lotte Department Store held an inauguration ceremony for its campaign “Happy Family, Good Parents” to promote childbirth and prevent child abuse. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family to run the campaign.

Lotte Department Store held a talk on May 15 with Prof. Baek Jong-hwa, head of the BJW Psychological Counseling Center, and rapper Sean, known publicly for being a devoted father and husband, to give a lecture on family and parenthood.

In February, Lotte Department Store lent a helping hand to marginalized people on the occasion of Seollal, the Korean Lunar New Year holiday. Staff and executives visited the Seoul Jung-gu Community Rehabilitation Center to deliver traditional food and offer free health exams to the disabled. Medical supplies, rice and daily necessities were handed out as well.

Lotte Department Store also organized a project called “Lovely House,” which selects senior centers and child care centers in need of remodeling and patches them up. From 2014 to 2015, the company fixed and remodeled 35 facilities on a 500 million won ($440,000) budget in cooperation with the Community Chest of Korea.

The project’s budget was funded by donations from 1,000 Lotte Department Store workers who each contributed 1 percent of their salaries. The company also matched the employees’ donations.

In 2015, Lotte Department Store cooperated with Korea University Anam Hospital and the Korean Open Doctors Society to run a “Hope Hospital” campaign to pay for the medical expenses of needy children with incurable diseases. The company gave out a maximum of 10 million won to each child, and from May to December 2015, 10 young patients were able to receive medical treatment.

Lotte Department Store also carries out various activities to promote mutual growth with its small and midsize partners. For the first time, the retailer hosted an “Overseas Buyers Fair” to help small and midsize partner companies enter overseas markets. The event was held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from Feb. 28 to March 1 and in Jakarta, Indonesia, from March 2 to 5.

In China, Lotte Department Store has been hosting a “Korean Products Exhibition” to help small businesses advance into overseas markets. The exhibition has been held four times in total since 2014, and 92 Korean businesses have participated.