Toriloc: the digital platform that unites and supports local shops

Enrico Pronzati is a Piedmontese professional with a rather transversal profile , closer to the world of digital design, events and communication than to that of the classic technological startup: for example, he created Lunch Beat , a format that brings music and dancing during the lunch break and Wedding Dance , a format for the first dance of the newlyweds.

But its most interesting and recent creation is called Toriloc , born in the Parella neighborhood of Turin. It's a free platform designed not so much as a simple "online showcase," but as a sort of digital neighborhood community that should encourage people to learn about and frequent local shops and services, the famous neighborhood stores that are at risk of being crushed by the grip of Amazon (and online sales in general) and the ever-increasing management costs for brick-and-mortar businesses.

The platform collects profiles of shops, businesses, professionals, venues, and other points of interest. At launch, around 80 locations had already been mapped in Parella. Shopkeepers can report all the details of their local store: merchandise, prices, special offers, discounts, opening and closing times, and any exclusive products. But the platform also engages residents: if, for example, a window photograph is missing, a "mission" can be proposed for a user to photograph it and contribute to the information. Residents-consumers are therefore not simply visitors. They can discover businesses, report new ones, and participate in building the neighborhood map. There are also game elements and participation mechanisms. Users can share their experience with a business, providing a description from the perspective of someone who actually frequents that store or service.

Finally, using the Toriloc search term "I'm looking for a resident of the Parella neighborhood," instead of searching for "hardware store," "plumber," "bakery ," etc., you can simply say what you need . For example: "I'm looking for someone to repair an old chair in the Parella area."

The request is addressed to compatible businesses and professionals who can come forward with a proposal and have a sales outlet in the neighborhood. 

It's no coincidence that this service is being launched in a city like Turin, always careful to protect its traditional shops and bars. Yet, according to Confesercenti data from June 2026, as many as 13 percent of local shops in the Piedmont capital have closed down since 2019 alone. Pronzati says: "Toriloc was born from a simple question: Why do we only know what's far from our homes? So let's reverse the paradigm and use the digital world that's causing local shops so much suffering to support them, help them, and, above all, raise awareness about them." 

The project is a candidate for the 2026 Non Sprecare Award, in the Companies section. To submit your projects, follow the instructions here.

The projects competing for the 2026 Non-Waste Award:

• RecuperARTI, the association that educates and creates art by recovering waste
• Grande Impero: the company that turns leftover bread into biogas
• SPlastica: The company that produces plastic from expired milk waste