Welcome Captain Dufry!

Captain Dufry will make his debut in the next few months! To be available in a large number of countries where Dufry operates, this is Dufry´s first global charity initiative, which aims to further increase our support of SOS Children´s Villages.

By Jorge Muñiz

It´s cute, isn´t it? This soft toy is a new arrival to many of our stores across Dufry. His name is Captain Dufry and, yes, it’s a dog wearing a Dufry scarf and aviator hat with goggles. Captain Dufry has all the qualities the best soft toys should have. It appeals to everyone – big and small – and is soft enough to cuddle (a must for children), but attractive enough to put on display (something some adults appreciate).

However, offering soft toys as part of our toy category is not new to Dufry. Traditionally, these items are a versatile and affordable gift that our customers buy as a simple gesture that says “I missed you” “congratulations,” “I’m thinking of you,” or even “good luck.” Produced by international toy supplier Aurora, Captain Dufry is ethically sourced – this means it´s been responsibly manufactured guaranteeing that the working conditions for its production are fair, safe and legal for workers and also support local communities.

And much as we could go into the details of how huggable this little chap can be, the most important part of Captain Dufry is not that visible. It’s a gift that helps improve the living conditions of many children and their families, thanks to our partnership agreement with SOS Children´s Villages.

How does it work

During the last quarter of 2020, Captain Dufry will start to be available on the shelves of some of our stores – with more to follow at the beginning of 2021. With a very affordable price – €6.95 / $7.90 / £5.99 – this new arrival to our store is strategically located in impulse areas such as queuing systems, to trigger incremental purchases.

Benefits obtained from the sale of this soft toy will be donated to charities and, at least for the next couple of years, Dufry has partnered with SOS Children´s Villages to receive the proceeds of this initiative.

The launch of Captain Dufry comes along with in-store communication and signage to build awareness. Dufry is featuring high visibility spaces across the stores where Captain Dufry is to be available – including dedicated selling displays and gondolas. On top of this, our customers will be offered additional options to donate using the Red by Dufry app, hence, increasing the possibilities of helping this charity initiative even more.

Why SOS Children´s Villages and what this organization does?

The partnership story of Dufry and SOS Children´s Villages spans over 10 years now. The company has been supporting this charity both at local and central level through direct donations and with different initiatives geared to give visibility and to raise funds for this NGO, including collection boxes in several of our stores all over the world.

The role of SOS Children´s Villages is very much aligned with Dufry´s main charitable focus, which is to sponsor and support disadvantaged children, young people and their families. Collaboration started in in 2009 when Dufry sponsored a first project with preventive care in Igarassu, Brazil with the construction of a social center that has since benefitted nearly 400 infants, young children and teenagers with their mothers and enabled them to join family strengthening programs. The role of this NGO however does not stop there, and with the support of Dufry, we have also sponsored similar projects in Lavrovo,in Russia; Nairobi, Kenya, and Comitán, Mexico.

Why is this important?

Now, you may be asking - if Dufry is donating all benefits obtained from the sale of Captain Dufry to a charity - what is the company taking out of this initiative? Moreover,wouldn´t it just be easier to make a direct donation and leave it at that?

These are probably the right questions to ask. Sometimes, and more frequently than we thought, money is not the only lever that motivates people to do things. And whilst increasing our contribution to this or another charity would be simpler, we believe people in general, and our customers in particular, are as keen as we are in supporting charitable causes. And as a good retailer, we have the opportunity of giving our customers what they prefer and want...

The good intentions to donate to charitable causes are often affected by other things - “I have no time”; “I´m in a rush”; “I don’t want to sign up to a long-term commitment. Just a one-off”. These are some of the obstacles that we can overcome with initiatives like Captain Dufry. Offering an appealing and affordable way of contributing to a charity is a tried and tested way of removing these excuses and eliminating the barriers.

In the UK, we sell bottled waters that enable the ONE Foundation to build water facilities in Africa. In Zurich and Basel, the sale of water bottles is also helping to fund hospitals and local communities. And similarly in Spain, the benefits obtained with the sale of two products (nougat and a perfume) are given to a charity. What makes Captain Dufry different and unique is that this is the first global initiative of this kind, and another proof point of the progress made in aligning internal processes and ways of doing business.

Dufry´s support to communities

Dufry is aware that the impact of its operations goes beyond the financial goals. These impacts are classified under three dimensions – environmental, social and economic. Understanding these impacts is critical for Dufry to operate responsibly, ensuring we minimize our negative impacts and maximize the positive ones. Bringing it back to basics, it is important to understand, for example, that running an operation in a specific country has straightforward positive impacts in the local economies, as we employ staff from local communities, transfer know-how and pay local taxes. But there are other benefits that are not so visible but equally important, like ensuring fair business practices, or supporting local producers by buying local products.

It is also true that these positive initiatives are also needed in locations where our business has less (or no) ability to make such a direct positive impact. And this is where corporate philanthropy pays a critical role to directly support those in need.

As a group, Dufry supports a large number of initiatives framed under our community engagement. Either by direct donations, by selling products – like bottled water or toys like Captain Dufry – or just by giving exposure and visibility of various initiatives, to our extensive, global customer base. We are also proud of promoting a culture of caring for the more disadvantaged and, whenever possible, we give support to projects carried out by members of our staff.

What we have touched on here is not a comprehensive list of all that our company is doing and we encourage you to find out more about some of the most prominent initiatives Dufry supports, by reading the community engagement section of the annual report which is available on our corporate website.