IMPACT partenaires launches EUR 50 million investment fund to create franchises in French urban deprived areas

IMPACT partenaires is launching IMPACT création, the investment fund dedicated to creating franchises in French urban deprived areas with the support of BPI France, Programme d’Investissement d’Avenir, EIF, Française des Jeux, Région Ile-de-France. The purpose of this investment fund is to provide capital to entrepreneurs based in French urban deprived areas to open renowned franchises such as Burger King, Carrefour, Courtepaille, Speedy, Emova, Mail Boxes, Pharmactiv, Pizza Hut, Franck Provost, Stockerseul and Tablapizza.

On 17 March, IMPACT création officially launched its first investment with Carrefour Proximité. This new Carrefour City franchise will be set-up in Bonneuil-sur-Marne in a shopping mall refurbished by Epareca, and this business will contribute to the local economy.

“This innovative project is in line with Carrefour’s values and societal engagement, so we naturally agreed to join in with this wonderful initiative. We are also delighted to be the first brand to take part in this project and are pleased to announce that we will soon be opening the first store to benefit from this facility, in Bonneuil-sur-Marne,” said Christophe Rabatel, CEO of Carrefour Proximité and Cash & Carry France.

A total of EUR 50m will make it possible to finance 200 to 250 franchised businesses, generating more than EUR 200m in turnover and creating more than 2,000 jobs over ten years. These companies will also account for additional social security payments of EUR 13m a year and additional tax revenue of EUR 3m for the most vulnerable areas.

To support the fund and with the assistance of the JP Morgan Chase Foundation, IMPACT partenaires is launching a range of services for future entrepreneurs, including a website: www.montetafranchise.com. This site enables anyone wishing to open a franchised business in their district to test their motivation and complete a free certified training course from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers (CNAM) and the FFF. 20 000 candidates will have access to this dedicated online training course. The Foundation will also provide these entrepreneurs with dedicated support designed to help them to set up in these areas and guarantee an inclusive recruitment approach.

“We are delighted to support this new and innovative project for working class districts, and are certain that it will make a solid contribution to the economic and social development of these areas,” said Kyril Courboin, Head of JP Morgan in France.

This national fund is subscribed by Bpifrance via the Priority Districts Fund of Funds (Fonds de Fonds Quartiers Prioritaires – FFQP), managed as part of the Future investment programme (Programme d’investissements d’avenir) and directed by the Commissariat Général à l’Investissement (CGI), as well as on its own account, the European Investment Fund (EIF), BNP Paribas and Française des Jeux.

For Nicolas Dufourcq, CEO of Bpifrance, “thanks to IMPACT création, Bpifrance is pleased to support this programme tailored to entrepreneurship in working class districts with a major impact on the employment and attractiveness of these vulnerable areas.”

Marie-Claire Capobianco, Member of the Executive Board of BNP Paribas and Head of French Retail Banking, said that as “a historic partner of IMPACT partenaires and committed to working class districts, we are delighted to take part in this new initiative bringing growth, hope and social connections via local businesses.”

These investors see a social issue echoing their activities. Stéphane Pallez, CEO of Française des Jeux, commented: “FDJ is a major player in local business in France through its network of over 31 000 outlets. By taking part in the IMPACT création fund, we are expanding our action to promote economic activity and business development in these areas and are helping to support FDJ outlets in priority city districts.”

The fund is supported by the European Investment Fund (EIF), the European Investment Bank (EIB) subsidiary specialised in supporting European micro-enterprises and SMEs. The EIF developed the Social Impact Accelerator (SIA), a social impact fund of funds dedicated to supporting European social enterprises for which this is the tenth transaction in Europe, with France being its number one beneficiary. “By financing and assisting project promoters in priority districts, the EU, via the European Investment Fund, is supporting employment and social cohesion,” highlighted EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “We are improving the daily lives of local residents. I would like to see this kind of financing develop in France and across Europe.” 

EIF Chief Executive Pier Luigi Gilibert said: “I am very pleased to confirm our investment in IMPACT création I with IMPACT partenaires, here in Bonneuil-sur-Marne, via EIF social impact fund of funds. This new line of financing will create jobs and new opportunities for future entrepreneurs in French deprived urban areas.”

This initiative was also subject to a Social Impact Contract (Contrat à Impact Social) with the Ministry for Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Urban Affairs, which have undertaken to pay EUR 1m in 2022 upon the achievement of social objectives in terms of job creation, people trained and the number of franchised businesses created in these districts.

Via its franchise partners, IMPACT partenaires supports the founders of companies located in priority districts, but also entrepreneurs wishing to take their high-social impact business (disability, job market integration, apprenticeships) to the next level, particularly in vulnerable areas.

Epareca is a national public institution that redevelops and reorganises commercial and artisanal spaces, and is active in all districts covered by the Cities Policy as well as districts eligible for PNRQAD (national redevelopment programme for deprived districts). Over the past 20 years, on the authority of local municipalities or practical private initiatives, Epareca has acted as contracting authority for operations creating, transforming or converting commercial and artisanal spaces. Where applicable it is also responsible for marketing and rental management, returning them to the private sector by placing them on the investment and private management markets. The institution's 2016-2020 objectives and performance contract supports its status as a leading public promoter in these districts. www.epareca.org - Twitter: @Epareca.

With almost 160 member networks (representing 45% of French franchisees) selected on the basis of their commitment to respecting the European Code of Ethics for Franchising, the FFF is an essential interlocutor between the authorities, network creators, entrepreneurs and investors. It provides present and future franchisors and franchisees with the training and information they need to develop and export their model. It has an ongoing dialogue with the authorities and local elected representatives regarding the vital modernisation of business and trading services, where franchising is one of the most powerful tools available. Its exchange and research programmes contribute to the constant evolution of franchising, the success of which supports, encourages and feeds the ambition of the FFF. The FFF is the representative of entrepreneurs who start and develop their business using franchising. For more information, visit www.franchise-fff.com and the press area at http://pressroom.franchise-fff.com

The French Retail Banking division has almost 29 000 employees serving more than 6.7 million retail customers, 571 000 professional customers and very small businesses, 30 500 businesses (SMEs, midcaps, large companies) and 65 400 associations. It is a leading commercial and private bank. Organised on the basis of customer-type specialisations to provide the best possible support, it offers a wide range of products and services, from current accounts to expert corporate finance and asset management structuring. The Retail Banking teams are dedicated to serving the economy and all the customers they work with at almost 2 000 branches and 305 centres of expertise: Private Banking, Maisons des Entrepreneurs, Innovation Centres and Business Affairs Centres. Retail Banking also has a major social media presence, including on Facebook and Twitter. As part of its ongoing investment in innovation and service quality, BNP Paribas has created Hello Bank!, the first digital bank designed for use on mobile devices. This customer relations offer complements the bank's range of online services (Contact Centre, internet, mobile, online savings/trading, online loans and online insurance) and the 6 124 ATMs available to all.

Française des Jeux is the fourth largest lottery in the world with bets totalling EUR 13.7bn in 2015. It offers lottery and general sports betting to its 26.3 million customers in a responsible and secure manner. The group and its subsidiaries (FDP, LVS, etc.) have more than 1 800 employees, a local sales network with 31 900 outlets and a multimedia service used by 1.3 million players. In 2015, Française des Jeux paid out 95% of its bets: EUR 9bn to players, EUR 3.1bn to local authorities including more than EUR 230m for universal access to sport, and almost EUR 690m to retailers.

The PIA has been granted EUR 47bn (EUR 33bn of which has already been allocated since 2010) for six important themes for the future of France: higher education and training, research and its applications, industrial modernisation, sustainable development, the digital economy, health and biotechnology.

For more information, visit: www.bpifrance.fr – http://investissementsdavenir.bpifrance.fr/ – Follow us on Twitter: @bpifrance

Press contacts:

IMPACT partenaires
Mathieu Cornieti
Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 42 17 66
mathieu@impact.fr

Subscriber press contacts:

Bpifrance
Nicolas Jehly
Tel.: +33 (0)1 41 79 95 12
nicolas.jehly@bpifrance.fr

Française des Jeux
Patrick Germain
Tel.: +33 (0)1 41 79 10 33 82
pgermain@lfdj.com

BNP Paribas
Marion Saraf
Tel.: +33 (0)1 57 43 88 63
marion.saraf@bnpparibas.com

EIB
Anne-Cécile Auguin
Tel.: +352 621 361 948
a.auguin@eib.org

EIF
David Yormesor
Tel.: +352 2485 88346
d.yormesor@eib.org

Partner press contacts:

Carrefour
Cécile Replumaz
Tel.: +33 (0)6 79 83 75 58
cecile_replumaz@carrefour.com

Epareca
Guillaume Doye
Tel.: +33 (0)6 84 81 29 38
gdoye@epareca.org

Fédération Française de la Franchise
Stéphanie Morlan
Tel.: +33 (0)1 53 75 22 25
s.morlan@franchise-fff.com