Housing for all: Kingfisher increases its support for the Abbé Pierre Foundation

Kingfisher’s purpose is to make home improvement accessible for everyone 

To achieve this ambition and help the most underprivileged members of society, Kingfisher has chosen to supportthe Abbé Pierre Foundation a leading French charity devoted to tackling homelessness. Kingfisher will actively contribute to the foundation’s initiatives for those living in poor housing conditions.

After several years of collaboration, Kingfisher and its French brands, Brico Dépôt and Castorama, continued their commitment to the Abbé Pierre Foundation in 2018 by forming an ambitious partnership with the organisation.

A partnership to make housing accessible to the most disadvantaged people

Kingfisher will support the foundation via direct financial contributions as well as fundraising activities and has pledged to donate at least* €250,000 (£225,000) to the foundation over the course of next year. The 224 Brico Dépôt and Castorama stores in France will come together to sell charity products, collect donations and raise awareness of poor housing amongst the French public.

This new partnership got underway on the 3rd December with two initiatives to sell charity products** nationwide. For every Christmas tree bought between 1st – 24th December, Castorama will donate €1 to the Abbé Pierre Foundation. Brico Dépôt has implemented a similar scheme, with 55 participating products being sold in-store.

This financial support will be backed up by product donations.

Kingfisher also hopes to encourage its employees to get involved and offer their help to the Abbé Pierre Foundation where it is needed the most. On a local level, Brico Dépôt and Castorama employees will be able to volunteer their services to help improve the foundation's reception centres through refurbishment work. Employees will also be able to participate in skills-based sponsorship projects on a one-off or medium-term basis.

* If the partnership's fundraising target is not met, Kingfisher France will make up the difference.

** A charity product is a product for which a fixed sum is paid by the company to a foundation or association for each unit sold.

Building a long-term relationship

"Since it was founded, the Abbé Pierre Foundation has fought against poor housing. For several years, Brico Dépôt has supported us in our fight to provide the most underprivileged people with access to decent housing and dignity. This partnership with Kingfisher reinforces foundations that we’ve been building for nearly ten years." — Christophe Robert, Executive Officer, Abbé Pierre Foundation.

This new partnership is the culmination of a ten-year commitment by Brico Dépôt to the Abbé Pierre Foundation. Previous initiatives include:

• Between 2009 and 2014, Brico Dépôt donated 100% of the profits from the sale of its reusable bags.
• In 2015, a campaign was created to help raise awareness and encourage people to act against poor housing.
• In 2016, a mural was created to display donation cards sold in-store during a campaign to raise awareness of poor housing.
• Over ten years, Brico Dépôt has raised €227,000 (£204,000) for the Abbé Pierre Foundation, whilst increasing awareness of poor housing amongst its customers.

In turn, in 2018, Castorama donated products to support the "C'est pas du Luxe" (it's not luxury) and "Une place à table" (a seat at the table) events organised by the Abbé Pierre Foundation.

"For many years, the Abbé Pierre Foundation has been leading a crucial mission to raise awareness and promote actions to support housing for the most disadvantaged citizens. We all have to work together to create change,so I would like to thank the Abbé Pierre Foundation and all of our employees and customers whohave made this partnership possible. I am counting on everyone to make the December initiative a success", says Christian Mazauric, CEO of Kingfisher France.

***

About Kingfisher

Kingfisher is an international home-improvement company. It trades in France through its brands Castorama and Brico Dépôt, which have almost 20,000 employees and more than 220 retail outlets.

About the Abbé Pierre Foundation

Remaining faithful to the spirit of its founder, Abbé Pierre, for whom "housing is an issue of justice", the foundation continues his battle:

• It fights so that everyone can have a roof over their head and live in dignity.
• It unconditionally welcomes and provides guidance to vulnerable people.
• It fights against all forms of injustice and discrimination in the housing sector.
• It participates in public debate, relentlessly reminding those in power of their legal, economic and social responsibilities.

https://www.fondation-abbe-pierre.fr/en

PRESS CONTACTS

Kingfisher

Wandrille Clermontel
+33 (0)1 86 21 50 88  
[email protected]

Morgane Atoumo
+33 (0)1 70 23 91 95
[email protected]

Abbé Pierre Foundation

Anne Lambert de Cursay,
Media Relations Manager 
+33 (0)1 55 56 37 45
+33 (0)6 23 25 93 79
[email protected]