French entertainment retailer Fnac is reported to be considering launching in the UK. According to Retail Week, reps from the French chain were in London recently looking at possible units for its first UK store. The retail trade mag says: "Fnac is understood to be working with property agency Harper Dennis Hobbs, which has been responsible for bringing several overseas retailers to the UK. The retailer may take some time to secure a central London site because of Fnac's store size requirements. Its search is focusing on central London for the time being".
Whether Fnac would just look for a London store, or whether it would be the start of UK-wide expansion, remains to be seen. Any widespread move into the UK market would put them into direct competition with HMV and Zavvi, who are already suffering in face of increased competition from the supermarkets and online operations. That said, some reckon that while Fnac have been successful elsewhere in Europe, they may struggle to compete full on in the UK market. Retail Week quote one expert thus: "Fnac is a very Latin concept and appeals culturally to the characteristics of the French or Spanish and Italians. In the 1990s, Fnac entered the German market. The concept didn't work and it had to retreat".