L’OCCITANE Remains Committed to Japan Through Reconstruction Projects
On March 11, 2011 at 2:46PM, an earthquake of magnitude 9 on the Richter scale devastated over 300 miles of the eastern coastline of Japan, leading to the disappearance of over 10,000 people. 150,000 people had to be evacuated and lodged in temporary shelters. First aid associations have gradually given way to reconstruction projects.
L’OCCITANE and Japan have a privileged relationship: since its arrival in 1998, the brand has awakened a veritable craze in the archipelago, where it now achieves 25% of its global sales. Over 700 employees work for L’OCCITANE en Provence - Japan. Following the disaster, and once first aid had been delivered by the Japanese Government and humanitarian associations, the employees of the subsidiary decided to meet the victims in the accommodation centers and comfort them by giving them more than 50,000 L’OCCITANE products.
At the same time, just after the disaster, L’OCCITANE engaged with local associations in order to select a reconstruction project in the north of the country. The community center of the city of Kamaishi, in the region of Iwaté, was largely destroyed. It was a gathering place for the inhabitants around cultural and sports events. L’OCCITANE has chosen to create a partnership with the KnK Association (Kokkyo naki Kodomotachi, ie. Children without Borders) to restore and re-equip the center. L’OCCITANE launched a fundraising campaign among its employees, shareholders and subsidiaries to fund reconstruction projects in Japan. 2.5 million dollars were collected from 12 different countries. One of projects supported will be the reopening of the Kamaishi center in April 2012.
