Well-tucked hats, tight scarves, gloves, parkas… Didier and his two sons are equipped to brave the cold. Up at dawn, they have been planted since 6 a.m., this Friday, January 3, in front of the Fnac store, located at 74 avenue des Champs-Élysées, in Paris. And they're not the only ones who set an early alarm! The reason for this craze? Everyone came to take advantage of the big clearance sale, organized from January 3 to 12, in the hope of finding some gems before the permanent closure of the store established at this address for 27 years. The brand had warned: shattering discounts ranging from -40 to -80%. Enough to awaken the instinct of business hunters.
Even before the doors open, a crowd of 3,000 people stretches over 500 meters. Denis, in the queue since “only” 8 a.m. this morning, came to see possible good deals, without any specific idea. Others have a well-crafted plan of attack and clearly know what they came for: Ipads, camcorders, video console controllers… But at 10:30 a.m., in front of doors that are still closed, customers begin to show signs of first signs of irritation. Finally, a few minutes later, the den of consumption raises the curtain and begins to let consumers in, little by little.
MacBook Pro at 1,400 euros, vinyl at 3 euros
And obviously patience pays off. Customers leaving the store have smiles on their faces. “I bought myself a MacBook Pro for 1,400 euros. A golden deal, it normally costs 2,200 euros!“, Julien tells us. His friend is showing off an iPad Air for 499 euros instead of 699. And that's not all: Devialet, the premium brand of connected speakers, is offering discounts of more than 50% on certain exhibition models. For more modest budgets, DVDs between 1 and 3 euros, vinyls at 3 euros (compared to 25 usually) and audio headsets discounted at 70 or even 80% also make people happy. Thierry, with his arms full, shows us the details of his receipt: a note for 750 euros with a discount of 525 euros, or a final amount spent of 225 euros. One condition however: “You have to be quick. Once inside, you have five minutes flat to fill your basket, and no more than three high-tech items per customer», warns Julien. To put an end to wild resales on the web…
On the Champs-Elysées, the battle of luxury brands rages
But the celebration was short-lived. At noon, given the consumer enthusiasm for this event and the crowd movements, the brand has decided to lower the curtain until Monday January 6.
The 89 reclassified employees
Last March, the Fnac group announced its plan to permanently close its Champs-Élysées store. For several years, profitability was no longer there, due to the increase in fixed costs and a decreasing customer base, following the increasingly marked reorientation of the famous avenue towards luxury stores. . Despite the closure, no social plan. All 89 employees are reclassified in other stores of the brand. What about the next tenant of 74? Mystery. According to rumors, a large popular brand is ready to take over.
