L'Abeille Compagnies d'Assurances
The L'Abeille group was established on June 19 1856 in Dijon as L'Abeille Bourguignonne, Société Anonyme d'Assurances contre la Grêle. The company was originally set up by farmers and vineyard agents in the region to offer hailstorm insurance.
Company History
L'Abeille Bourguignonne agent's appointment letter, 1861
L'Abeille Compagnies d'Assurances logos
L'Abeille Compagnies d'Assurances bee logo
The company started to extend its business almost immediately. On May 5 1857, L'Abeille contre l'Incendie was established to transact fire business and, in November of the following year, the original company changed its name to L'Abeille Société Anonyme d'Assurances contre la Grêle. In 1859, a further company, L'Abeille Maritime, was created.
On January 27 1877, L'Abeille Vie was established to offer life assurance and, in 1881, L'Abeille contre l'Accidents was set up offering accident, plate glass and livestock insurance. In 1891, L'Abeille Incendie began to insure against fires caused by electrical lighting and losses caused by unemployment and lack of income after a fire. In 1898, L'Abeille Accidents was one of the first companies able to meet the requirements of a new law concerning accidents in the workplace.
In 1906, L'Abeille Grêle was liquidated and a new company with the same name was established. In 1952, L'Abeille Incendie and L'Abeille Accidents merged to form L'Abeille Incendie, Accidents et Risques Diverse, known as L'Abeille IARD. In 1958, a holding company, Abeille Société Anonyme was created. In 1967, L'Abeille IARD merged with L'Abeille Grêle to form L'Abeille IGARD. In the same year, Abeille Société Anonyme was introduced into the French Stock Exchange.
In 1970, L'Abeille merged with La Paix under a new holding company called La Compagnie d'Assurance Abeille et Paix, which changed its name to Assurances-Abeille-Paix and, in 1972, became known as Groupe Victoire. In 1976, the Compagnie Financière du Groupe Victoire (CFGU) was created as an umbrella group containing Abeille-Paix IGARD, Abeille-Paix Vie, Abeille-Paix Réassurances and overseas branches.
In 1987, Abeille-Paix was renamed Abeille Assurances and Abeille Vie became Abeille Réassurances. CFGU was acquired by the Commercial Union Assurance Company Ltd in 1994. The following year, L'Abeille Assurances and L'Abeille Vie were incorporated into the Commercial Union France Group and L'Abeille Vie was merged with L'Epargne de France. In 2002, the L'Abeille group, Groupe Victoire and Norwich Union France became Aviva France Ltd.
Key dates
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1856 | The company is established |
| 1857 | The company changes its name to L'Abeille contre l'Incendie |
| 1858 | The company changes its name to L'Abeille Société Anonyme d'Assurances contre la Grêle |
| 1877 | L'Abeille Vie is established |
| 1881 | L'Abeille contre l'Accidents is established |
| 1906 | L'Abeille Grêle is liquidated and a new company is established under the same name |
| 1952 | L' Abeille Incendie and L'Abeille Accidents merge to form L'Abeille Incendie, Accidents et Risques Diverse |
| 1958 | A holding company called Abeille Société Anonyme is created |
| 1967 | L'Abeille IARD merges with L'Abeille Grêle to form L'Abeille IGARD |
| 1970 | L'Abeille merges with La Paix under a new holding company called La Compagnie d'Assurance Abeille et Paix |
| 1970 | La Compagnie d'Assurance Abeille et Paix is renamed Assurances-Abeille-Paix |
| 1972 | Assurances-Abeille-Paix becomes known as Groupe Victoire |
| 1976 | The Compagnie Financière du Groupe Victoire (CFGU) is created as an umbrella group containing Abeille-Paix IGARD, Abeille-Paix Vie, Abeille-Paix Réassurances and overseas branches |
| 1987 | Abeille-Paix is renamed Abeille Assurances |
| 1987 | Abeille Vie becomes Abeille Réassurances |
| 1994 | Commercial Union Assurance Company acquires CFGU |
| 1995 | L'Abeille Assurances and L'Abeille Vie are incorporated into the Commercial Union France Group |
| 1995 | L'Abeille Vie merges with L'Epargne de France |
| 2002 | The L'Abeille group, Groupe Victoire and Norwich Union France become Aviva France |
Did you know...?
- In 1910, many of the company's records were destroyed in a flood which entered the basements of the head office. Some of the records were destroyed by the water while the rest were burned on the order of the sanitation department to prevent the spread of disease from rats.
- The company insured Emperor Napoleon III in 1873.
- In 1898, during the Dreyfus Affair, L'Abeille director Armand Langlois was a member of the jury that convicted Emile Zola to a year in prison and a fine of 3,000 francs following the publication of his famous pamphlet, "J'accuse".
Subsidiaries and constituents*
| Year | Company name |
|---|---|
| 1942 | La Societe Marocaine d'assurances |
| 1957 | Compagnia Italiana di Assicurazione, L'abeille |
| 1957 | L'Abeille, Belgo-Luxembourgeoise d'Assurances Belgian Anonymous Compagnie d'assurances |
| 1957 | Hemisferio, L'abeille |
* Please note the first date given is the date of the establishment of the company and the second date is the date the company was acquired or became a subsidiary. Where only one date is given the company was established as a subsidiary of the parent company. Where one date is preceded by a hyphen the date of the establishment of the company is not known.
Head office premises
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1858 - 1859 | 31 de la rue Devosge, Dijon |
| 1859 - 1866 | L'Hotel des Brosses, Dijon |
| 1866 - 1882 | 52 rue des Petites-Ecuries, Paris |
| 1882 - 1956 at least |
57 rue Taitbout, Paris (neighbouring properties purchased in 1920s) |
Staff and officials
Manager (hail and fire)
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1856 - 1865 | Alphonse Maas |
| 1865 - 1885 | Artus Langolais |
| 1885 - 1900 | Armand Langolais |
| 1900 - 1908 | Albert Coquillon |
| 1908 - 1929 | Georges Coquillon |
| 1929 - 1947 | Charles Watel |
| 1948 - 1956 at least |
Paul Perrot |
Manager (Accident and Life )
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1878 - 1911 | Georges de Serbonnes |
| 1911 - 1946 | Eugene Carre |
| 1947 - 1948 | Robert Denvil |
| 1949 - 1950 | Emile Durand |
| 1951 - 1956 at least |
Maurice Boivin |
Directors (1856)
- Auguste Gaulin
- M Bisot
- Prince de Breauvau
- M Capitain
- M Chevalier
- M Chouet
- M de Loisy
- Le comte de la Loyere
- Le marquis de St-Seine
- M Tardy
- M Louis Bazille
- M Gaulin
- M Tugnot de Lanoye
Home branches and agencies
Paris, France (1858)By 1859 the group had 220 agencies throughout France
Overseas branches and agencies
- Sardinia, Italy (1858)
- Turin, Italy (1859)
- Brussels, Belgium (1859) also Mons, Tournai, Namur, Liege, Verviers
- Geneva, Switzerland (1859) also Basle
- Valencia, Spain (1859) also Aragon, Andalusia
- Hamburg, Germany (1860)
- Holland (1860)
- Austria (1860)
- Tlemcen, Algeria (1881)
- Monaco (1900)
- Turkey (1910)
- United States (1910)
- Madrid, Spain (1911)
- Barcelona, Spain (1911)
- Canada (1911)
- China (1912)
- Indo China (1912)
- Bulgaria (by 1920s)
- Guyana (by 1920s)
- Guadeloupe (by 1920s)
- Greece (by 1920s)
- Alexandria, Egypt (1910)
- Algeria (1910)
- Tunisia (1910)
- Argentina (1922)
- Madagascar (1929)
- French Antillies (1928)
- United Kingdom (1937) via the Continental
- French West Africa (1954)
Published history
L'Abeille 1856 - 1956. Cluseau-Lanauve. 1956.
In the archives
The Aviva archive contains records relating to the running of the L'Abeille group between 1880 and 1980. The collection includes policies, tables of results, annual reports and accounts, photographs, staff magazines and promotional material.
