A historic network facing new challenges

For several decades, Fnac has established itself as an iconic retail brand in the French landscape, combining cultural products, high-tech goods, and expert advice.

But over the years, the landscape has shifted:

• E-commerce is disrupting shopping habits,

• Customer foot traffic has become more erratic,

• Pressure on operating costs is increasing.

The Expansion department found itself facing a delicate equation:

How to keep growing while ensuring the profitability of every new store opening?

Site selection decisions had become too uncertain

Before adopting a structured geomarketing approach, network development was partly based on disparate data and often localized analyses.

• Some openings, approved based on intuition or general trends, failed to meet expected targets.

• High-potential areas remained untapped due to a lack of reliable indicators.

• The team struggled to forecast foot traffic, especially for compact or hybrid formats.

• Increasingly heterogeneous customer behaviors across regions made local adaptation complex.

"We needed a way to make our opening decisions more reliable. A field-based approach, but backed by data." Expansion Department, Fnac

Mapping performance

To meet this challenge, Fnac evolved its methods. The Expansion department integrated an advanced geomarketing approach, capable of cross-referencing internal data (revenue, customer profiles, foot traffic...) with external sources (mobility flows, sociodemographic typologies, local competition...).

Identify high-potential untapped areas. Simulate future performance for each site selection scenario. Visualize cannibalization effects to make informed decisions between opening and repositioning. Adapt the offering to the territory's profile. Strengthen investment plans by prioritizing areas with rapid ROI.

This shift in approach allowed the Expansion team to stop opening stores for the sake of it, and instead focus on locations where real demand exists.

A concrete impact on national network coverage

In less than 12 months, results became evident:

• +25% efficiency in site selection (profitability threshold reached sooner)

• +20% average foot traffic at new stores targeted through this approach

• Optimized investments, with a reduction in unnecessary opening costs

• More coherent network coverage, avoiding duplicates and addressing untapped high-potential areas

• The Expansion department was able to implement a clear, replicable territorial strategy that is far more collaborative with local teams.

A new decision-making culture:

More than just a tool, a new culture has taken root within the team:

• Decisions are now driven by objective indicators, shared across the network,

• Fieldwork is better valued, thanks to visual and actionable data,

• Headquarters and regional teams speak a common language: that of territorial performance.

"We're no longer simply looking for an available space. We're looking for the right location, in the right city, at the right time."

Anticipate, adapt, perform

By integrating geomarketing intelligence into its processes, Fnac has transformed a constraint (pressure on physical expansion) into a strategic advantage. The Expansion department now has the means to decide faster, more accurately, and with greater impact.