french fnac coming to London

One of France’s best multimedia stores is reportedly coming to London, reports the Independent (8 Mar 08). Personally I love bookshops and gadgetry – and if I get time I try to pop in to fnac in Paris and many cities in France, because it tends to have most things under one roof- books, music, maps, DVDs, telephones, computers, cameras etc. On a wet and windy day it’s a pleasant way to pass an hour – and no-one hassles you to move on or buy!

Imagine you are in HMV and fancy a flat-screen television to watch the Coen Brothers movie you have just bought. Or in Currys wishing you could slip the latest Jack Johnson CD into the box containing your sleek new hi-fi system.

Soon you may be able to do both at a new chain of “culture superstores” with a laidback, Gallic approach. The French books-to-DVDs, video games-to-computers retailer Fnac is looking to tighten its grip on audio-visual and literary retailing in Britain.

A team from the company (originally called Fédération Nationale d’Achats pour Cadres, or the National Purchasing Federation for Managers) has been scouting London for a site……….