Furet du Nord

Furet du Nord is a chain of bookstores in the Nord department of France. Its origins date back to 1936 when a fur store located on Rue de la Vieille-Comédie in Lille was transformed into a bookstore. It retained its name, referring to a local tradition: rabbit hunting with ferrets.

Furet du Nord
Société anonyme
IndustryRetailer
Founded1936 (1936) in Lille
FounderGeorges Poulard
Headquarters
Lomme
,
France
Number of locations
20
Area served
Nord, France
Key people
  • Pierre Coursières
  • Paul Callens (1923-2009)
ProductsBooks
Stationery
Music
Multimedia
Revenue€81,226,000 (2018)
€2,024,000 (2018)
SubsidiariesDecitre
Websitewww.furet.com (in French)

Today, the flagship store is located in Lille on the Grand Place. It was established in 1959 and was the largest bookstore in the world from 1992 to 1999.[1] It is still the largest bookshop in Europe today.[2]

History

Furet du Nord was originally a fur shop located on Rue de la Vieille-Comédie in Lille. High school principal Georges Poulard transformed the 750 sq ft fur shop into a bookstore in 1936. Despite the nature of the business changing, the new owner decided to keep the original name, Furet du Nord.[3][4][5]

In 1947, Paul Callens began working at Furet du Nord.[5] He had a passion for books despite coming from a family where his father, a butcher in Tourcoing, did not understand or indulge in his passion.[6] Dissatisfied with his position as a salesman and the shop's size, Callens wanted to purchase the shop despite not having enough money. Later in 1950, he told his dreams of buying the bookshop to his dairymaid friend, Florence, who took a tin box from the cellar wrapped in a newspaper containing her savings. Callens bought the bookstore with the savings the next day.[5][7] While at a café, Callens heard that Galleries Barbès was closing their furniture store on the Place du Général-de-Gaulle in Lille, and he had the idea of moving Furet there. There were other contenders for the location such as the Renault company, so Callens made his first trip to Paris to plead his case with the management of Galleries Barbès.[5][8] He convinced the management with plans for his bookstore and it opened on 1 August 1959.[3][9] It initially had a space of 20 m2 which later expanded to 600 m2.[8] Its grand opening was in 1960.[3] Furet du Nord became the first self-service bookstore[3] and was also the first bookstore in France to open a department of pocketbooks in the basement in 1963;[10] a youth department was built in the basement in 1970.[3]

In 1982, Paul Callens' family business became a public company and began to open other stores in the area. Furet du Nord's area expanded from 500 m2 to 7,000 m2 between the years of 1982 to 1992.[3] Today, it hosts an average of 12,000 daily visitors. In 1996, Furet du Nord opened its first online bookstore. The site now offers 350,000 French language references. Furet du Nord is now owned by Extrapole, a chain of multimedia cultural stores, and its shareholder Lagardère Services, acquired in July 1999.[11]

In the summer of 2001, Lagardère (formerly Hachette Distribution Services) acquired the French network of Virgin Megastores and became the second-largest French group that specialized in distributing cultural products (ahead of the French group Pinault Printemps Redoute). Due to regional fame, Furet du Nord retained its name. At the beginning of November 2007, Lagardère announced that it was in exclusive negotiations with the French investment fund Butler Capital Partners (BCP). At the end of November, the works council unanimously accepted the change of the main shareholding, with the acquisition of a stake of about 80% in the Virgin/Furet investment fund. The same month, the group announced that the bookstore located in Boulogne-sur-Mer since 1990 was to close at the end of January 2008. In the summer of 2008, two subsidiaries of the regional bank of Crédit Agricole in Nord de France, Vauban Partners (Paris) and Participex Gestion (Lille) took control of the capital. This operation made it possible to repay the debt (€15 million) and contributed €10 million in equity.[12][3]

Starting with the separation from Virgin Megastores, Furet du Nord changed its commercial strategy.[13] On 15 October 2009, Furet launched furet.com and began distributing more than a million books on the Web. In mid-September 2010, the eleventh bookstore opened in the Englos-les-Géants shopping centre.[14] In June 2011, a new boutique opened in Cité Europe in Coquelles, near Calais.[15] At the end of October 2011, the first Furet du Nord bookstore outside the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region opened; it was in the La Vache-Noire shopping centre, in Arcueil, south of Paris.[16] The brand continued its expansion in the shopping centres of Île-de-France by settling in that of Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, named Okabé, 16 October 2012.[17][18] In 2013, the brand returned to Dunkerque, after having left in 2000. It replaced the Virgin Megastore after it went into liquidation.

Furet du Nord made an offer to purchase the Sauramps bookstore in Montpellier, but on 19 July 2017, the Montpellier tribunal de commerce chose a different offer by François Fontès, head of Amétis, a real estate group specializing in social housing.[19] In 2018, Furet du Nord expanded outside of France with the purchase of Chapitre.be (formerly Agora) which has two stores in Belgium.[20]

In November and December 2018, Furet du Nord announced the acquisition of Decitre, which opened up access to the Rhône-Alpes region, in addition to an increased presence on the Internet.[21] This acquisition was formalized on 18 January 2019, making Furet du Nord the fourth largest bookseller in France. The group achieved a turnover of €82 million in 2018, of which €52 million is in the book market.[22]

Location of Furet du Nord stores

As of March 2018, the company owns twenty stores, including thirteen in Hauts-de-France, five in Île-de-France and two in Belgium.

Shop on the Place de la Général-de-Gaulle in Lille
Furet du Nord on the Grand'Place, Lille

Since 1 August 1959, Furet du Nord has been located on the Place du Général-de-Gaulle, also called Grand'Place, in the city of Lille.[8]

In 1969, the façade was modified to remove 19th-century additions in order to restore it in its original style of the 18th century. The façade is inspired by the painting of François Watteau, La Procession de Lille en 1789.[9]

Over the years, the store has grown from 200 m2 to 8,000 m2. When the company first moved to the Grand'Place at the location of Galeries Barbès, the sales area was 200 m2. At the end of the year, it increased to 600 m2 when the old workshops of the Galeries Barbès were removed.[8] At that time the Lille store occupied only the ground floor. In 1976, Furet du Nord moved to the place of the Cinema Le Bellevue and expanded to 4,500 m2, then in 1991 instead of the Hotel Strasbourg and passes to 8,000 m2.[9]

In 1974 and 1998, the store received 10,000 daily visits.[23][24] It is serviced by the Rihour Metro station.

Open stores
CityAddressOpening year
ArcueilLa Vache Noire Shopping Centre2011[11]
ArrasRue Gambetta1989[25]
BeauvaisLe Jeu de Paume Shopping Centre2015
BéthunePlace Georges-Clemenceau1992[25]
CambraiMail Saint Martin1991[25]
CoquellesCité Europe Shopping Centre2011[13]
DouaiRue de la Mairie2019
DunkirkPôle Marine2013[26]
EnglosBoulevard du Commerce (Englos-les-Géants)2010[27][28]
LensBoulevard Basly1986[25]
LieusaintCarré Sénart Shopping Center2013[29]
LilleGrand Place1959 [8]
Louvain-la-NeuvePlace Agora2018 (Acquisition)[20]
LouvroilAushopping Val de Sambre Shopping Centre2018[30]
Montigny-le-BretonneuxSqy Ouest Shopping Centre2017[31]
NamurRue Émile Cuvelier2018 (Acquisition)[20]
RoubaixGrand Rue2005[15]
Tremblay-en-FranceAéroville Shopping Centre2013[29]
ValenciennesRue du Quesnoy1982[25]
Villeneuve-d'AscqBoulevard Valmy (V2 Shopping Centre)1991[25]

Old stores
CityAddressOpening yearClosing year
LilleRue de la Vieille-Comédie19361959
Boulogne-sur-MerGrand Rue1990[25]2008
DouaiRue de la Madeleine1988[25]
DunkirkPlace de la République1994[25]2000[26]
Le Kremlin-BicêtreOkabé Shopping Center, Avenue de Fontainebleau2012[18]2016
MaubeugeAvenue Jean-Mabuse1983[25]2013[32]
TourcoingGrand Rue 1984[25]
Saint-QuentinAvenue de la Source de la Brièvre 1990[25]2008[33]

References
  1. "Le " Furet du Nord " plus grande librairie du monde" ["Furet du Nord" is the largest bookstore in the world]. lesechos.fr (in French). 28 April 1992. Retrieved 4 September 2016..
  2. "La plus grande librairie d'Europe, Le Furet du Nord, est à Lille, sur la Grand-Place" [The largest bookshop in Europe, Le Furet du Nord, is in Lille, on the Grand-Place]. www.archivesdunord.com (in French). 2014.
  3. Élodie Lécadieu (2010). "Paul Callens a créé un endroit emblématique où Furet(er)" [Paul Callens created an emblematic place at Furet]. La Voix Éco (in French). Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  4. Feller 1974, p. 95
  5. Boucher 2012, p. 42
  6. Feller 1974, p. 96
  7. Feller 1974, pp. 96–97
  8. Feller 1974, p. 97
  9. Boucher 2012, p. 43
  10. Sorel & Leblanc 2008, p. 287.
  11. Boucher 2012, p. 45
  12. "Livres Hebdo". 30 July 2008.
  13. "Le Furet du Nord s'aventure à Arcueil" [Furet du Nord ventures to Arcueil]. leparisien.fr (in French). August 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  14. "Librairie Le Furet du Nord à Englos" [Bookstore Furet du Nord in Englos]. Éditions Luigi Castelli (in French). Retrieved 29 August 2010.
  15. François Lecocq (2010). "Le Furet du Nord se rénove en abordant les galeries marchandes" [Furet du Nord is revitalised by approaching the shopping malls]. LSA (in French). Retrieved 9 July 2011.
  16. J.-M. P. (2011). "Le Furet du Nord sort de la région pour la première fois" [Furet du Nord comes out of the region for the first time]. La Voix Éco (in French). Retrieved 24 August 2011..
  17. "Librairie Le Furet du Nord au Kremlin Bicêtre - HORAIRES". Éditions Luigi Castelli. Retrieved 14 February 2013..
  18. Cécile Mazin (2012). "Le Furet du Nord: une nouvelle librairie à Kremlin-Bicêtre" [Furet du Nord: a new bookshop in Kremlin-Bicêtre]. ActuaLitté (in French). Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  19. "Cour d'appel : le Furet du Nord per Les libraries Sauramps" [Court of Appeal: Furet du Nord loses Sauramps bookstores] (in French). Retrieved 20 July 2017.
  20. "Le Furet du Nord ouvrira Demain ses portes à Namur et Louvain-la-Neuve" [Furet du Nord will open tomorrow in Namur and Louvain-la-Neuve]. RTBF Info (in French). 1 March 2018.
  21. Justin Boche (27 December 2018). "Lyon: le rachat de Decitre autorisé par l'État" [Lyon: Government authorises acquisition of Decitre]. Lyon Capitale (in French).
  22. "Le Furet du Nord rachète Les librairies Decitre" [Furet du Nord buys Decitre bookstores]. Challenges (in French). 18 January 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2019.
  23. Feller 1974, p. 101
  24. Chaumard 1998, p. 191
  25. Chaumard 1998, p. 192
  26. "Dunkerque: Le Furet arrive en novembre au pôle Marine, mais n'ouvrira pas le dimanche" [Dunkirk: Furet arrives in November at Pôle Marine, but will not open on Sundays]. lepharedunkerquois.fr (in French). October 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  27. "Furet du Nord : un nouveau concept à Auchan Englos en 2010?" [Furet du Nord: a new concept at Auchan Englos in 2010?]. La Voix du Nord (in French). 2009. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  28. Sylvie Lavabre (2009). "Furet du Nord lance son site internet" [Furet du Nord launches its website]. LSA (in French). Retrieved 9 March 2010.
  29. "Deux nouveaux Furet du Nord en Ile-de-France" [Two new Furet du Nord in Ile-de-France]. lsa-conso.fr (in French). March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  30. "Louvroil - Le Furet du Nord fera son retour dans la val de sambre au mois de novembre" [Louvroil: Furet du Nord will return to the Val de Sambre in November]. Canal FM (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  31. "Montigny-le-Bretonneux: l'arrivée du Furet du Nord relance SQY Ouest" [Montigny-le-Bretonneux: the arrival of Furet du Nord raises SQY West]. Le Parisien (in French). 18 October 2017.
  32. Cathy Gerig. "Après Dunkerque, Boulogne et Tourcoing, Le Furet du Nord quitte Maubeuge fin avril" [After Dunkirk, Boulogne and Tourcoing, Furet du Nord will leave Maubeuge in late April]. La Voix du Nord (in French). Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  33. "Cinquante ans après son ouverture, le Furet du Nord fait toujours fureur" [Fifty years after opening, Furet du Nord is still all the rage]. tourcoing.maville.com (in French). 2009. Retrieved 4 March 2014.

Bibliography
  • Feller, Jean (1974). "Rendez-vous au Furet…". Communication et langages (in French). Presses Universitaires de France (22): 95–104. Retrieved 28 September 2019.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Chaumard, Fabien (1 September 1998). Le commerce du livre en France: Entre économie et culture (in French). Editions L'Harmattan. pp. 191–194. ISBN 9782296368712. Retrieved 4 March 2014.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Sorel, Patricia; Leblanc, Frédérique (2008). Histoire de la librairie française. Édition du Cercle de la Librairie (in French). Retrieved 20 March 2014.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Boucher, Yannick (May 2012). "Le Furet du Nord: La plus grande librairie du monde à livres ouverts". La Saga des Marques (in French). 1: 42–45.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Paquot, Michel (20 February 2014). Le Furet du Nord: Naissance de la librairie moderne. Édition La Voix (in French). ISBN 9782843931789.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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