With two levels and different areas, such as beauty, home and fashion, this is what De Prati’s first store in Machala has, located on Avenida 25 de Junio, in the city center and close to the bus station.

The new facility has a modern and avant-garde style, has 140 parking spaces and an ecologically efficient system, for example, solar panels and two connections for electric cars.

De Prati is ready in Machala and will open this Friday, March 31

Priscilla Altamirano, De Prati’s executive president, says this new $80 million investment, which comes weeks after the earthquake that hit Machala, is a development opportunity.

“We are excited to arrive in Machala, we already had many clients here and we wanted to be closer to them, not only through the web but also through a physical store. Machala and the province of El Oro is an area of ​​high economic and social growth, and we want to contribute to that growth and from now on be part of building the history of this city,” said Altamirano during the inauguration.

The new store has areas such as perfumery, footwear, clothing, home, among others, for women, men and children. There are certain technology spaces like digital kiosks, corporate WhatsApp and using vendors pills.

“We have invested in design, in bringing the best brands from around the world to offer to Machaleño clients. We know that you are looking for quality clothes, that you want to express your good taste, so today we present the best collections of clothes, home and children’s clothes”, notes the director.

As part of this new economic injection, 130 sources of employment have been activated. And in the vicinity of the store, other stores are expected to open, which will offer different options, such as restaurants and pharmacies.

De Prati will invest 80 million dollars

Altamirano points out that investments will continue, as in the road to the coast, in Guayaquil, where a shopping center with large green areas is expected to open. “Our plans don’t end there as we will continue to expand across the country,” says Altamirano.

60 women are trained for free

Mayra Torres, 31, went through the selection process for the Mujeres Confeccionistas program run by De Prati.

She learned how to fasten buttons, make pockets, maintain sewing machines, and now she made uniforms for her children. “And I already have requests for uniforms from other students,” she says excitedly.

In Machala, this project started in January and, like Mayra, another 59 women are being trained for free in clothing and entrepreneurship.

Víctor Paladines, director of Fundación Acción Solidaria, says that more than 200 women applied for this process and were selected according to three criteria: socioeconomic level, entrepreneurial capacity and vulnerability. And so there were 60 of them.

“We came with the purpose of contributing to the growth of the city and fulfilling the obligation to open a women’s clothing manufacturer program. Seeing these Machaleño women learning clothing techniques from Almacenes De Prati fills us with pride,” says Altamirano.