Mr Bricolage Blog

Mr. Bricolage celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. Let us take a look back at the history behind the store name and the logo created by Publicis in 1980. In 1979, a grouping of independent stores came together as a cooperative under the name Anpf (Association Nationale des Promoteurs du Faites-le vous-même – National Association of DIY promoters). The name was based on a translation of the famous US Do-it-Yourself (DIY). At that time, each store had its own name. The surname of the store director was often used as the store name. Anpf continued its activities for 15 years. ANPF franchisees then started searching for a means of strengthening their network and presence on the DIY market. They decided to opt for a common store name. A very long list of possible names was drafted, and the idea of combining “Monsieur” with “Bricolage” (DIY) slowly gained ground. This store name had the advantage of clearly indicating the items sold. The general meeting of franchisees approved the store name. The grouping mandated the Publicis agency to produce a logo for the store name. Maurice Lévy, current Publicis CEO, was very interested in the project and handled it directly. After leaving a working meeting with the directors of the Anpf, they met up with Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet (director and founder of Publicis in 1926). They explained their difficulty with “Monsieur Bricolage“: this name was unanimously approved, but was too long. General practice deemed that store names could not include more than three syllables. Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet suggested shortening the name to “Mr.Bricolage“. This name was tested with consumers and testing was conclusive with 96% positive feedback. The Mr.Bricolage store name saw the light! As luck would have it, 30 years later, Publicis designed the new trademark for the Mr.Bricolage group.

Mr.Bricolage has recently published a corporate book to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The group tells the tale of the first grouping of independent DIY stores in France. A human tale.

It all started with a hardware merchant coming from Orléans, Bernard Ivernel, in the mid-1950s. He heard tell of a new form of distribution gaining ground in the United States, known as, “Do it yourself”. He received increasingly urgent demands from his customers looking to find articles to fit out, maintain and decorate their homes, all under the same roof. Bernard Ivernel decided to use the American approach in France. Assuming others would have the same idea; he sought out and met up with other traders applying the same policy. Bernard Ivernel was a visionary and a leader and brought together the 12 pioneers within a club for sharing and discussion. L’Association Nationale pour la Promotion du Faites le vous-même (ANPF – The National association of DIY promoters) was officially founded in 1965. The association rapidly integrated many independent traders. A few years later, they decided to take things a step further and created the Mr.Bricolage store name.

A book on the history of a company

Inner double page of the book in the early 1980s

This book tells this human tale. The book is presented in landscape format with a sleeve. The book is filled with images and articles by eye-witnesses, plus a chronological strip highlighting the major events of each era (politics, society, inventions, culture, music, cinema, sport, etc.). The layout accords priority to images, backed up with dynamic and eye-catching graphics. More information on the history of the Mr.Bricolage group..