Our history

Discover the major highlights of Fnac and Darty, two giants of French retail, united since 2016.

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With Beyond Everyday, Fnac Darty accelerates the rollout of its pioneering model on the European market.

1954

Max Théret and André Essel create the Fédération Nationale d’Achat des Cadres purchasing consortium, with one sole ambition: to do business in a different way.

1957

The Darty brothers launch their namesake brand. The Contract of Confidence we have all come to know is created: “A customer is only satisfied if the product he buys works and provides the services he expects of it.” Low prices, delivery and fast repairs are the store’s key words. And they haven’t changed since.

1968

Darty creates its first after-sales service, which is groundbreaking at the time, and marks a genuine commitment to extending product life spans.

1972

Fnac launches its testing laboratory. The company then begins to help customers make informed choices through independent product testing.

1981

Fnac expands beyond French borders and sets up a store in Belgium. This is the start of the internationalization of the brand, which, 40 years later, is present in 13 countries.

1988

Darty reaches the milestone of 100 stores in France. Repairing appliances at the end of their life spans is a priority. Darty even creates a company (Dacem, in 1984) to easily obtain parts for repairs.

1996

Darty goes digital with its website darty.com, where the Contract of Confidence is offered to the first Internet users.

1999

Darty’s website becomes an e-commerce site and offers its products to all of its visitors. Fnac also creates its own e-commerce site.

2006

Darty breaks new ground by offering its operator services. Telephony, Internet and television are all offered by Dartybox.

2011

Fnac launches its first Kobo e-reader with thousands of digital books available to consumers.

2014

Forty years after creating the Contract of Confidence, Darty launches Bouton Darty and offers an after-sales service at everyone’s fingertips. This connected device allows customers who subscribe to the service to have access to telephone support on all household products purchased at Darty or elsewhere. Simply press the button for a priority call back, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

2016 Onward

The merger between Fnac and Darty, two iconic and popular brands, is formalized. Synergies occur naturally between the two entities, which share a very similar vision regarding customer service and the role a company must play in supporting its customers on a daily basis. Fnac Darty is created and becomes a leader in omnichannel retail in Europe. With successive acquisitions of Nature & Découvertes, WeFix and Billetreduc.com, the Group anticipates societal changes and prepares for the more digitalized business of the future by meeting new consumer expectations. More than just a multi-specialist retailer, Fnac Darty has a raison d’être: “committing to educated choices and sustainable consumption,” which manifests itself through a number of projects and initiatives, such as the groundbreaking launch of its own repairability index, the annual publication of its After-Sales Service Barometer, the regular updating of its product selection “The Darty Sustainable Choice,” and the launch of Darty Max, its iconic subscription-based repair service for all household appliances. With l’Eclaireur Fnac, its recommendations website dedicated to shedding light on entertainment and tech news, and societal issues in these areas, Fnac Darty is taking even more steps to support its customers on a daily basis.

2021

Fnac Darty has announced its new strategic plan, Everyday. It is enable the Group to be in its day-to-day work and for the long haul, the key ally for consumers, helping them to be sustainable in their consumption habits and daily household tasks.

2024

Fnac Darty strengthens its European leadership in specialized retail by acquiring Unieuro, the number one distributor of electronic and household appliances in Italy. This operation allows the Fnac Darty Group to pursue its long-term ambition of consolidating its markets and reinforcing its economic model on a European scale.

2025

Fnac Darty unveils Beyond Everyday, its strategic plan through to 2030, aimed at accelerating the rollout of its pioneering model in the European market, with circularity as a central focus. Its ambition is to become the benchmark for customer experience across all touchpoints and to scale its services on behalf of third-party partners.

Our strategy

Our strategy

Make Fnac Darty a Vital Ally to Consumers both on a Daily Basis and over the Long Term

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Committing to providing an educated choice and sustainable consumption

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Frequently Asked Questions

Glossary : understand the key terms

This glossary summarizes the key concepts

  • Beyond everyday

    Fnac Darty’s strategic plan unveiled in June 2025 for the 2025-2030 period, built around subscription services, customer experience and applying the Group’s expertise for partners, with circularity at its core.

  • Everyday

    Strategic plan launched in 2021 that moved the Group towards a more omnichannel, service-oriented and sustainable model. It preceded Beyond everyday.

  • Retail media

    A retailer’s monetisation of its in-store and digital advertising space and customer data on behalf of third-party brands.

  • Circularity

    Keeping products in use for as long as possible through repair, subscription, trade-in, second life and recycling.

  • Omnichannel

    The integration of stores and digital channels into a single, continuous purchase journey.

  • Direct-to-fans

    Operating commercial microsites on behalf of artists, allowing them to sell directly to their fan base.

  • Repairability

    A product’s capacity to be repaired: spare-part availability, ease of disassembly and access to technical documentation.

  • Darty Max

    Darty’s subscription service providing unlimited repair for household appliances, emblematic of the Group’s service-oriented model.

  • Fédération Nationale d'Achat des Cadres

    The purchasing consortium created by Max Théret and André Essel in 1954, from which the Fnac name derives.

  • After-Sales Service Barometer

    Fnac Darty’s annual publication ranking product reliability and repairability using data from its after-sales service.

  • Contract of Confidence

    Darty’s commercial pledge, in place since 1957, covering low prices, delivery and fast repairs.

  • After-sales service (SAV)

    All services provided after purchase: installation, diagnosis, repair and support. Darty created its own in 1968.

  • Testing laboratory

    The facility launched by Fnac in 1972 to test products independently and help customers make informed choices.

  • Dacem

    The company created by Darty in 1984 to source spare parts for its repair operations.

  • Repairability index

    A score rating how easily a product can be repaired. Fnac Darty launched its own index ahead of the regulatory requirement.

  • L'Éclaireur Fnac

    A recommendations website launched in 2021 covering entertainment, tech and social issues to guide readers towards a more informed choice.