2018: a year of active social engagement

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield has a long-standing commitment to supporting its communities, creating social value through civic engagement and job creation initiatives.

In line with our CSR strategy, we work locally to create better communities. 100% of our shopping centre worldwide work in collaboration with local charities and public partners to promote their social and environmental activities. 928 actions were conducted at Group level in 2018, engaging 1,439 volunteers amongst our teams, for an overall contribution of €5.4M.

In the United States, the Group’s employees donated more than 500 hours of time to provide career counseling and guidance to transitioning military veterans. Our Veterans Initiative is an employee and community engagement programme focused on providing career development assistance and entrepreneurial opportunities for transitioning military veterans and underemployed military spouses. Volunteers provide help on different career topics such as writing a formal resumé, networking with peers and prospective employers, making the most out of job recruitment opportunities and websites, writing effective business plans, and raising capital and attracting investors.

In Continental Europe, 47 initiatives were held in 2018, championed by 84% of our shopping centres. Thanks to the dedication of the teams, we devoted more than 1,200 days to support civic actions in and around our centres, including painting and renovating, urban gardening and fundraising. Through our UR for Jobs initiatives, we helped 700+ job-seekers acquire the relevant soft and hard skills required to succeed in retail. 551 people were hired or integrated a qualifying training programme as a result. We are proud of the 2018 achievements, and looking to the future, we will continue to create positive change for our communities!