Credit: MADE CREATIVE - Marie De Decker

On Friday 28 October 2022, Luxembourg insurance company Foyer Group will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

In this context, two festive evenings were organised on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 October 2022: the first in the presence of Their Royal Highnesses the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and 600 guests, the second with Foyer Group's 1,600 employees and agents.

These celebrations made it possible to look back on a century of successful history and above all to thank all those who have contributed to it, from customers and partners to employees and agents.

Faithful to its family roots and deeply attached to its country, Foyer Finance is today one of the most important Luxembourg financial institutions with private capital. A leader in the Luxembourg insurance market and present in a dozen European countries through its three businesses (insurance, benefit protection insurance and wealth management), Foyer and its subsidiaries support thousands of customers at every stage of their lives. The other area of activity of the Group is investment, embodied by Luxempart since 1992.

The Group counts some 860 employees in three countries (Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands) and 625 agents and agency employees present in the territory of the Grand Duchy.

History

Founded on 28 October 1922 by a group of Luxembourg entrepreneurs, Léon Laval, Max Lambert, Joseph Bach and Max Ménager, Le Foyer, Compagnie Luxembourgeoise d'Assurances SA rapidly developed its activities abroad and established itself in Saarland (Germany), France and Belgium. From the beginning of the adventure, the founding members had the ambition to create a Luxembourg group, but with an international scope.

The end of the Second World War marked the beginning of the "glorious thirty" which, from 1945 to 1975, saw a sustained development of the economy. The country was being rebuilt and the purchasing power of Luxembourgers was increasing. As an insurer, Le Foyer supported this well-being movement.

In the early 1980s, Europe took shape and gave birth to a large single insurance market. Foyer decided to sell its activities in France (1982) and Belgium (1990) and redefined its strategy with regard to the new European context, but also to the changing rules in the insurance sector.

This reflection guided Foyer Group towards a strategy of niches in Europe, in its core businesses and adapted to its resources:

  • in 1992, the Group launched into cross-border life insurance. 30 years later, WEALINS marketed life insurance solutions complementary to wealth management in a dozen countries in Europe from Luxembourg;
  • in the same vein, Foyer Group has been developing a wealth management activity since 1998, a business it has been carrying out since 1922 while managing its own assets. CapitalatWork today has become the leading wealth manager with private capital in Luxembourg, active in the Grand Duchy, Belgium and the Netherlands;
  • since 2000, Foyer has once again been offering car and multi-risk home insurance products in Belgium, from the Grand Duchy, for a targeted clientele;
  • in 2014, Foyer launched Foyer Global Health, which sells health insurance for expatriates all over the world, based on a digital platform.

All of these initiatives have created hundreds of jobs in the Grand Duchy.

In 1992, Foyer Finance took a significant stake in Luxempart (formerly BIL-Participations), of which it is now the reference shareholder. Since its inception, Luxempart has supported Luxembourg companies in their development, but its strategy is also based on investments in companies in Europe and in private equity funds around the world.

Looking to the future

In its vision for the future, Foyer Group has confirmed that it wants to be a responsible player in an increasingly uncertain world, between climate crisis and technological revolution.

With a view to sustainable development, the Group applies a responsible investment policy and adapts its products and insurance coverage to challenges such as global warming. It has always been involved in projects of general interest and solidarity. It supports for instance medical research, aid to the poor and various humanitarian causes, for example support for the victims of the war in Ukraine, through a partnership with the Luxembourg Red Cross and Caritas Luxembourg, as well as the organisation under the high patronage of Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess, Stand, Speak, Rise Up!

Faithful to its entrepreneurial spirit, Foyer wants to continue to offer quality products and services, with high-performance digital tools, but also counting on proximity and human contact, which it believes have been the keys to its success for 100 years now.

François Tesch, Chairman of the Boards of Foyer SA and Luxempart SA, commented: "100 years ago, Foyer was built on family values and an entrepreneurial spirit, which keep on to this day. Through the lessons learned, the risks incurred, the sacrifices made, the failures and the successes, but also thanks to the exceptional stability of our country, our Group has become what it is today. On this anniversary, I would like to thank all those who trusted us, and who contributed to writing this beautiful page".