Fnac Darty: distributor, e-merchant and now associate logistician

Fnac, which then became Fnac Darty through a merger, has already gone through several stages of transformation. Of the shocks driven by digital technology, the Fnac identified three in 2016. Others followed, but perhaps the most important came in 2020.

Fnac Darty is developing a model based on a physical network and the growth of digital technology. And for these two aspects of its activity, the French company relies in particular on skills in logistics.

Seller and partner of merchants

Can this know-how in the fields of logistics and retail be valued externally? To answer this question, Fnac Darty and CEVA Logistics have signed an agreement. The two companies agree to create a joint company.

Called WEAVENN, the future company will be dedicated to e-commerce logistics and the SaaS Marketplace. It is therefore the meeting of two main areas of expertise around technological marketplace solutions and logistics for multichannel distribution.

The joint venture will propose a service offer intended to meet “all the needs of e-commerce players, such as the complete management of marketplaces, direct sales to consumers, or omnichannel delivery.”

To the common pot, Fnac Darty brings a network of nearly 1,000 stores and its omnichannel model of 24 million unique visitors. As for CEVA Logistics, a subsidiary of the giant CMA CGM, it provides its mastery of third-party logistics based on a network covering more than 170 countries and an international platform (Shipwire).

The two actors find themselves on their interest in e-commerce. “With more than 1 billion order lines in 2022, e-commerce has become a central element of our logistics activity and our expertise,” says Mathieu Friedberg, CEO of CEVA Logistics.

200 million euros in turnover within 5 years

On the distributor’s side, the development of high value-added services is described as a pillar of its Everyday strategic plan. Enrique Martinez, its general manager, also insists on the trust enjoyed by the brand in France and its experience in the fields of omnichannel and marketplace.

“We are convinced that together, we will define new standards of quality and efficiency for our merchant partners and our millions of individual customers,” reacts the executive in a statement.

The ambition of the two partners is therefore to strengthen themselves on a European market valued at around 80 billion euros, and expected to grow by an average of 10% per year. To carve out a share of this value, Fnac Darty and CEVA Logistics want to launch their joint venture owned 50-50 next year.

Their objective after operational beginnings in 2024: on a 5-year horizon, a turnover of the joint venture which could amount to more than 200 million euros and a double-digit operating margin.