French chain Fnac has opened its first store in Luxembourg: it was the first retailer to open its doors in the new shopping project Hamilius. Later this month, chains like Delhaize and Galeries Lafayette will follow suit.
First store
The new shop is located on the ground floor of the six-storey building. It is Fnac’s first establishment in the Grand Duchy, apart from a ‘Fnac corner’ at the airport operated by the Lagardère group. The new branch in Royal Hamilius has a total surface area of 1800 sqm, of which two-thirds is a sales area.
“We have put the emphasis on space“, Charles-Henri de Maleissye, director of Fnac-Vanden Borre Belgium and Luxembourg, says to Le Quotidien. “A Fnac store is a place where the customer likes to stroll around. More space, better lighting and lower shelves to present the products are the basis of the concept.”
Although books are still one of Fnac’s core activities, the product range has diversified over the years, especially after its acquisition of Darty. “Small electro-appliances are part of our offer, and here in Luxembourg we can find products that have not yet been released in Belgium or France”, de Maleissye boasts.
The chain is also positioning itself increasingly stronger online: its webshop now contains more than two million references, and Fnac achieves approximately 20 % of its turnover from e-commerce. “Customers are spoiled. They can come to the store, but they can also buy an article on our website and have it delivered at home or in the store”, store director Richard Hoitinga explains.
