SM Enables Customers in Uplifting Communities

Students of Balatong Elementary School received their shoes from the Shop & Share program.

The synergy of the SM group ecosystem goes beyond its business as it works hand in hand with its customers and different business units in uplifting communities. Through Shop & Share, a flagship advocacy of the SM Store, the department store business of SM, almost 90,000 students, youth, farmers, women and children have received retail items specially curated for their needs.

The program has also expanded, and now focuses on addressing critical needs in education, livelihood and health. To date, the program was also able to provide a brand-new pair of shoes to 31,000 students, 11,000 brand new learning toys, 1,200 agricultural tools, and 5,000 hygiene kits to various communities across the country.

This school year 2025, the Shop & Share program will be giving out 15,400 back-to-school kits to more than 70 plus public schools across the country. Tapping into the nationwide reach of the business of the group, Shop and Share heavily utilizes the 77 SM Store branches across the country.

“Since its inception, SM Store’s Shop & Share program has enabled customers to take part in purposeful giving. It brings to life SM’s commitment to being a catalyst for positive change, rooted in the Filipino spirit of bayanihan, where compassion and community move hand in hand. As part of the larger SM Group, we serve as a bridge that connects our customers’ generosity with the needs of our communities,” SM Retail, Inc. President Jonathan H. Ng said.

Just like how SM started, the Shop & Share program also started with shoes, inspired by the business’ humble beginnings.

The Shop & Share program partners with SM Stationery for their back-to-school CSR campaign, with SM Fashion for their Share Shoes initiative, and Toy Express, under Toy Kingdom, for Share a Toy. This year, the program will be working with SM Beauty in creating family essential kits following hygiene kits distributed last year.

In December 2024, the program collaborated with Toy Kingdom, SM Foundation partner public schools, World Vision Philippines, Good Neighbors Philippines, and the Rotary Club to distribute 6,000 brand-new educational toys to SPED schools and typhoon-affected communities.

Last September 2024, Shop & Share also launched the Tech Education campaign by partnering with Mastercard to establish four digital learning hubs with around 19 computers in SM Foundation partner schools. This benefited nearly 10,000 students and teachers, improving digital literacy and technical education ratings.

“As SM Store expands, we strive to grow with and for our communities. Through Shop & Share and in collaboration with SM Foundation, we go beyond building classrooms, helping nurture learners by supporting their broader educational needs. This reflects SM’s advocacy to uplift lives and invest in the next generation of Filipinos,” Mr. Ng said.

To further empower customers, SMAC, the premier loyalty program of SM has also partnered with Globe on their Hapag Movement starting in 2022. This was also a collaboration with SMAC members and SM Retail partners including SM Store, SM Beauty, SM Appliance Center, Kultura, Our Home, Surplus, Crate and Barrel, and more.

Alongside its different businesses, the SM group remains committed to strengthening its platforms in supporting its advocacies in education, health, and livelihood.