By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter


The French concept store, FNAC, which offers convenient shopping with a wide range of products for every member of the family, is a unique retail outlet, an official said.
FNAC opened its first outlet in the entire Middle East at Lagoona Mall yesterday. “We offer several products such as books, toys, electronic gadgets, televisions, cameras and smartphones under the same roof,” Manuel Biota, vice-president (Franchising and New Format, FNAC Group), told Gulf Times.
The French firm, founded 61 years ago and with an annual turnover of over €4bn, is present in South America, all over Europe and Morocco.
Biota said, “We chose Qatar for opening our first store in the Middle East for certain specific reasons. Qatar is known for promoting education and culture in a big way. Qatar gives a lot of importance to cultural and educational programmes and FNAC stands for such initiatives. So, we selected Qatar as there were several common factors. Moreover, we found the perfect partner in Darwish Holding to develop the concept.
“We have a partnership with Qatar Museums for lots of cultural products.We would like to promote culture through this arrangement. 50% of our books are Arabic and many of them are specific to Qatar›s history and art. We also have a number of educational toys and games for kids.”
Biota stressed that the FNAC store is unique in many ways. “We do not just sell a product. We give the right advice to customers about any product. According to the needs and tastes of customers, we advise them on the right products. Therefore, customers will be happy once they buy a product from our store,” he added.
He said there are over 20,000 items across eight areas in the shop. “The outlet offers books, audio, video, electronics, cameras among others, with a wide range of prices. We have a price range that suits every customer.” The official also stated that the company plans to expand in Qatar and other countries in the region depending on the progress of the store.


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