1 January 2024
KLÉPIERRE SHOPPING CENTERS COMMIT TO RESPONSIBLE FASHION BY ANNOUNCING SUSTAINABLE TOUR WITH THE SMILEY® FUTURE POSITIVE INITIATIVE
Klépierre, the European leader in shopping centers, is partnering with the Smiley® Future Positive initiative, as part of an exclusive tour combining trend and sustainability. Deployed in five shopping centers, the tour seeks to inspire visitors to adopt more environmentally friendly consumption habits. This collaboration creates a synergy between Smiley’s iconic optimism and Klépierre’s concrete commitment to more sustainable commerce.
A SHARED VISION FOR MORE RESPONSIBLE RETAIL
Fifty years after its invention by a French journalist, the iconic yellow smiley face, a symbol of good humor, continues to inspire and leverage its iconic status to engage its fans. Since 2021, The Smiley Company has been working on Future Positive® with the aim of creating sustainable products, using mindful production practices and responsibly sourced materials. The result is a range of products that have been created with partners that fall in line with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 (responsible production and consumption).
This commitment resonates with Klépierre’s ambitions, which, through its Act4Good™ CSR strategy, is committed to building the most sustainable platform for retail by 2030. Klépierre follows a clear roadmap, which includes the promotion of sustainable lifestyles. This approach is directly in line with initiatives like Smiley’s Future Positive® campaign. Having established successful collaborations, such as working with Celio to eliminate plastic from its packaging and reduce energy consumption by 40%, Smiley & Future Positive are teaming up with Klépierre shopping centers for 2025 in a meaningful partnership to further promote sustainability among the general public in an educational manner.
AN OPTIMISTIC ACTIVATION FOR A POSITIVE FUTURE
From February to July 2025, sustainable fashion activation will make stops at five Klépierre shopping centers in France: Val d’Europe (77), Arcades (93), Créteil Soleil (94), Rives d’Arcins (33), and Ecully Grand Ouest (69).
Visitors will enjoy an experience where style and commitment meet around responsible fashion through an engaging journey:
TOUR SCHEDULE
“We are delighted to partner with Smiley and their Future Positive initiative, which perfectly embodies our vision of tomorrow’s shopping centers: dynamic, engaged, and meaningful places. Beyond retail, we are creating spaces for dialogue and awareness where every visitor can become an agent of change,” comments Salma Kharchafi, Marketing Director for France and Belgium at Klépierre.
Nicolas Loufrani, CEO of The Smiley Company, said, “By creating the Future Positive initiative we wanted to create products that showcase our commitment to a more sustainable future. As part of the Future Positive initiative we are always proactive in trying to explain how we can be better through responsible fashion and more sustainable products. In this case we’re delighted to partner with Klepierre to help showcase this important message to visitors.”
ABOUT KLÉPIERRE
Klépierre, the European leader in shopping centers, combines expertise in development, leasing, and asset management. As of December 31, 2023, the company’s portfolio is valued at €19.3 billion and includes major shopping centers in more than 10 countries across continental Europe, welcoming hundreds of millions of visitors annually. Klépierre holds a majority stake (56.1%) in Steen & Strøm, Scandinavia’s leading shopping center company. Klépierre is a French REIT (SIIC), listed on Euronext Paris, and a member of the CAC Next 20 and EPRA Euro Zone indices. It is also included in ethical indices such as the CAC 40 ESG, CAC SBT 1.5, MSCI Europe ESG Leaders, FTSE4Good, Euronext Vigeo Europe 120, and is featured on the CDP “A List.” These distinctions highlight the Group’s proactive approach to sustainable development and its global leadership in the fight against climate change. For more information, visit our website: www.klepierre.com
About Smiley®
Smiley® has been spreading joy and optimism to generations since French journalist Franklin Loufrani created the trademarked brand in 1972.
Originally a gesture to urge readers of the newspaper France-Soir to ‘Take the Time to Smile’, soon this ubiquitous symbol of happiness became the most recognised and important icon in graphic design.
In 1996 Nicolas Loufrani, son of Franklin, took over the helm, steering Smiley into the digital revolution. Creating a whole new way of communicating, he added a variety of facial expressions to the original Smiley – his emoticons are now sent around the world infinitely.
Continuing to influence modern culture, Smiley is one of the world’s top global licensing enterprises collaborating on high-profile activities spanning fashion, art, homeware, food and beverage. Major partnerships include Loewe, Moschino, Raf Simons, Eastpak and LA-based Market, who produce the Market Smiley Baseball – a cultural icon.
Maintaining Smiley’s friendly mantra, Loufrani created Smiley Movement in 2017. The non-profit community works across multimedia platforms aiming to inspire positive change in society addressing urgent societal and environmental problems.
About Future Positive®
Born from the Original Smiley® Brand, Future Positive® is an initiative to help create accessible and sustainable products within the licensing industry. We want to take action, and explore how consumer products can be made with sustainability in mind. Our Future Positive products are made with responsibly-sourced materials that reduce harmful impacts on the natural environment. We are grounded in optimism, remaining hopeful that with every positive step whether big or small, together we will impact change and our Future will be Positive.
As featured by LicenseGlobal.com. Read their full coverage of the Smiley Future Positive x Klepierre: Sustainable Tour Announcement