NeedHelp sold to Kingfisher

NeedHelp accelerates its development with Kingfisher

M & A sell side 2020, December

E-commerce & retail

“We are delighted to be cementing our relationship with Kingfisher through this transaction. The additional investment and expertise that Kingfisher will bring, as well as the ability to help support its huge customer base, opens an exciting new chapter for us. We will continue investing in our technology, product and operational processes to drive even greater customer satisfaction. We are proud to support the growth of the home improvement market in Europe, through our open architecture model.”

Guillaume de Kergariou, NeedHelp’s founder and CEO

NeedHelp is an innovative paneuropean B2B2C online platform that connects customers who need home improvement help, either in-store or online, with vetted professional tradespeople and other skilled experts. The acquisition represents an important step forward for one of Kingfisher’s key priorities under its recently announced ‘Powered by Kingfisher’ strategy: to build a mobile-first and service-orientated customer experience.

NeedHelp was founded in France in 2014 by Guillaume de Kergariou, who will continue as CEO to lead the team and grow the business. While most of its business is currently in France, NeedHelp also operates in Switzerland and has recently expanded into Germany, Belgium, Austria, and the Netherlands.

Through its open architecture, NeedHelp already provides its services to customers in more than 500 stores including Kingfisher’s French businesses, Castorama and Brico Dépôt, as well as to a growing number of leading home improvement retailers. NeedHelp is growing rapidly.

While most of its business is currently in France, NeedHelp also operates in Switzerland and has recently expanded into Germany, Belgium, Austria, and the Netherlands. Through its open architecture, NeedHelp already provides its services to customers in more than 500 stores including Kingfisher’s French businesses, Castorama and Brico Dépôt, as well as to a growing number of leading home improvement retailers. NeedHelp is growing rapidly.

The company has tripled its revenue every year since launch. In 2020 the number of jobs completed through its platform is set to reach 58,000. With more people seeking to improve their homes since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the demand for NeedHelp has accelerated with its monthly revenue doubling after the first lockdown period.

Along with developing NeedHelp’s business in Europe with existing and new retail partners, Kingfisher also plans to roll out the platform in the UK and Poland. In the UK, NeedHelp will be able to support B&Q’s customers who need assistance with their home improvement projects, as well as cooperate with Screwfix’s customer base of trade professionals. NeedHelp will continue to operate as an independent company and will seek to offer its installation capabilities to retail customers across the Home Improvement sector, through its open architecture model...