Industria de Diseño Textil S A : Inditex opens its first international “for&from” store in Italy to foster the integration of people with disabilities

• Managed by the non-profit organization Cometa, the store will sell accessories and footwear from previous seasons from all of the Group's brands
• The store, which is located in Como's top shopping area, has more than 270 m2 of retail space distributed over two floors
• Inditex's 'for&from' programme already boasts a total of 15 stores that have generated more than 200 jobs for people with disabilities.

The store in Como, Italy, is the first outside Spain to be opened by the Group as part of the for&from programme, a social initiative that aims to contribute to integrating people with disabilities into the world of work. The new store, located in one of Como's top shopping areas just a few metres from the Duomo, is managed by the non-profit organization Cometa and offers a choice range of accessories and footwear from previous seasons and from all of Inditex's brands at reduced prices.

Cometa is an NGO committed to supporting, educating and training children and young people, as well as their families. Its mission is to promote the development of children and young people by encouraging their skills and talents to enter the world of work with security. Cometa is also committed to giving job opportunities to disabled young people as well as to those in a vulnerable situation.

The first for&from store in Italy has a surface area of 270 m² distributed over two floors, with an impeccable decor and image that evokes the aesthetics of the 1920s. Located in a typical Lombardy palazzo built on a long, narrow medieval plot, the architectural project focused on respect for and conservation of this protected space, while also adapting it to the commercial purposes of the project.

The interior is dominated by a black and white colour scheme. The use of terrazzo, the Italian cladding material par excellence, along with touches of teal are a nod to the colours of landscape surrounding the city.

This new space is also characterized by an elimination of barriers. To this end, numerous technical solutions have been employed to adapt the space to the range of different disabilities, such as with labelling using Braille and readable through shapes and colours, and furnishings and walkways adapted to customers with reduced mobility.

A social project that has generated more than 200 jobs

The main objective of the for&from programme is to create jobs for people with disabilities in an environment that favours social integration, promoting as far as possible their progress towards being hired by standard stores. The initiative already boasts a total of 15 stores that have generated 209 jobs for people with disabilities, 12 of which are jobs in Como.

Following an initial donation from Inditex to fund the store's construction, the model then becomes self-sustaining based on the sale of products from past seasons at a reduced price by the social organizations involved. The profits are reinvested in social programmes by the non-profit organizations that manage the stores. In this way, the store becomes a landmark retail space for inclusion, accessibility and the elimination of barriers.

All of these stores are managed by social organizations specializing in the integration of people with disabilities, such as Fundación Molí d'en Puigvert, the Galician Confederation of People with Disabilities (Confederación Galega de Persoas con Discapacidade, COGAMI), the Alicante Association for People with Mental Disabilities (Asociación Pro-Discapacitados Psíquicos de Alicante, APSA), Moltacte, and Fundación Prodis.

Since its creation in 2002, the for&from programme has not only demonstrated its capacity to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities but also provides an important source of funding for collaborating social organizations, providing them with the funds they need to develop their social projects.