Groupe Fnac Darty, formerly Groupe Fnac S.A., is a multinational retail company headquartered in Ivry-sur-Seine, France. It took its current name after acquiring Darty plc (formerly Kesa Electricals plc and Darty Limited) in 2016.

History

Fnac

Darty

In 1957, the Darty family – the father and his three sons, Natan, Marcel and Bernard – managed a small store of textiles. The Darty brothers started to sell stock and, to attract customers, they left the goods on the pavement. Within a few days, the stock was sold. In 1967, the Darty brothers transferred to a larger warehouse. In 1988, the company proceeded with the repurchase of the business by its employees through a management buyout. The operation was a success, since 90 per cent of employees participated, taking control of 56 per cent of the capital. By the end of 1988, Darty had opened its 100th store. In 1993, Darty was acquired by

Kingfisher plc Kingfisher plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational retailing company headquartered in London, England. It has over 1,300 stores in nine countries, and its brands include B&Q, Castorama, Brico Dépôt and Screwfix. Kingfisher i ...

, which integrated Darty and

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that warms and begins to release gases when passing close to the Sun, a process called outgassing. This produces an extended, gravitationally unbound atmosphere or Coma (cometary), coma surrounding ...

into a European entity based in Paris: Kingfisher Electricals S.A. ('Kesa'). In 1999, Darty opened up a commercial internet site. This entity increased in size through acquisitions and by the beginning of 2003 included Darty and But in France, Comet in the United Kingdom, BCC in the Netherlands, Vanden Borre in Belgium and Datart in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In 2006, Darty launched DartyBox, an ADSL

internet The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

and

telecommunication Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

s provider based on the network of French internet operator Completel. The company was demerged from Kingfisher plc in 2003. In July 2007, the company bought Menaje Del Hogar, an electrical retail chain based in Spain. On 6 July 2009, the company sold its

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

operation. In 2012, the company completed the sale of

, which they sold for £2 to

OpCapita OpCapita is a British private equity firm specialising in the retail, consumer and leisure industries. The firm invests in underperforming businesses that require operational support to improve profitability and create long-term, sustainable value ...

, and paid the purchaser a sweetener of £50 million to take the loss-making venture away. In 2012, Kesa Electricals was renamed Darty plc. In March 2014, Darty launched its own marketplace (developed by Mirakl) that lists products and services from Darty and third-party vendors. In November 2015, Darty plc reached an agreement to merge with the French retailer

Fnac Fnac () is a French multinational retail chain specializing in the sale of entertainment Media (communication), media and consumer electronics. Fnac was founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its headquarters is located in ''Le Flavia' ...

. Kesa Electricals plc, Darty plc and Darty Limited In 2016, Darty announced it had instead agreed to be purchased by Steinhoff International for £673 million through Steinhoff's Conforama subsidiary. Fnac returned with a higher offer, resulting in a bidding war between Fnac and Conforama during April 2016. The Fnac offer was declared unconditional on 19 July 2016, thereby allowing the takeover to be completed.

Fnac Darty

In 2019, Fnac Darty acquired Natures & Decouvertes, an outdoor, nature and well-being goods specialist.

Operations

Darty was headquartered in London. It had sourcing offices based in Paris and Hong Kong, as well as a wholly owned wholesaler of electrical accessories, Dacem, which supplied all of Darty's European operations. Following the takeover by

, Fnac and Darty merged, the Fnac group became Fnac Darty and the Darty headquarters joined the Fnac headquarters in Ivry Sur Seine. Its structure is as follows: *Darty: retailer in France; operating 222 stores with 321,800 square metres of selling space *Vanden Borre & Fnac Belgium: retailer in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

; operating 72 stores with 55,600 square metres of selling space

References

External links

* {{Authority control Companies based in Île-de-France Retail companies established in 1957 Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange Companies listed on Euronext Paris Consumer electronics retailers Electronics companies of France Multinational companies headquartered in France Video game retailers Retail companies of France French companies established in 1957