Apple Watch Expands to Retail Locations Outside of Apple Stores in France

Apple today continued the expansion of retail locations that offer the Apple Watch to customers, this time expanding the wearable device's availability in France (via iPhone Addict) [Google Translate]. The company confirmed customers in Paris will be able to purchase the Watch at Fnac locations within the city, starting with just one store alongside the Fnac official website.

Fnac-Coimbra_54_990x660
The Fnac retail store -- essentially equivalent to Best Buy -- initially selling the Apple Watch is the one located at the Champs Elysées, and will officially begin to sell the wearable on August 21. Other Fnac stores will begin to offer the Watch "within the next week," and the store's employees will be trained to field questions and concerns from customers regarding Apple's smartwatch.

Fnac will be the first European brand to offer the Apple Watch. Initially, it will be possible to buy it on the site of Fnac and at Fnac Champs Elysées. Other Fnac will have it within the next week, warns the sign. Employees will be trained to answer questions from interested users and thus better guide customers.

As iPhone Addict points out, the availability of the Apple Watch in new retail stores could dramatically increase sales for Apple in France, considering that there are only 18 Apple Stores in the country but over 100 Fnac locations. There was no confirmation of the exact range of models to be sold at Fnac, although it's likely the company will follow Best Buy's footsteps in offering the Apple Watch Sport and mid-tier Apple Watch in both the 38mm and 42mm sizing options alongside multiple Apple-branded bands and third-party accessories.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 8 New Features

Thursday January 9, 2025 5:45 am PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of January 2025: More aluminum: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models ...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

HomePod Mini 2 and New Apple TV Launch Timeframe Narrowed Down

Sunday January 12, 2025 4:11 pm PST by
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman recently reported that Apple plans to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models this year, and now he has provided a more precise timeframe. In his Power On newsletter today, Gurman said Apple is currently aiming to launch the new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year." That timeframe suggests the devices will be released at some point...
AppleEventLogoFeature

Apple Focusing on These Eight New Low-Cost Devices in 2025

Saturday January 11, 2025 1:00 am PST by
Apple's slate of 2025 products look to be dominated by a large number of low-cost and entry-level devices. Here's what to expect. With advancements like Apple Intelligence and all-new in-house chip designs, Apple is reportedly looking to enhance many of its budget-friendly offerings, ensuring they remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market. These updates also indicate a slight...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Horizontal 1

iPhone 17 Pro Main Camera Sensor 'Smaller' Than iPhone 16 Pro Sensor

Friday January 10, 2025 3:14 am PST by
This year's iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a smaller main camera sensor than the one used in the Fusion camera currently found in iPhone 16 Pro models, according to Weibo-based leaker Digital Chat Station. The Chinese leaker claims that Apple will adopt a 1/1.3" sensor for the 48MP main camera in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, down from the 1/1.28" sensor used in the iPhone 16...
se 4 for 2025

When to Expect the iPhone SE 4 or So-Called 'iPhone 16E' to Launch

Friday January 10, 2025 9:20 am PST by
Apple is widely rumored to be planning a new iPhone SE, and multiple sources lately have commented on the device's launch timing. The latest word comes from Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a blog post today, he said the device will be released around the middle of the first half of 2025. In other words, around the quarter mark of 2025. That means the next iPhone SE will likely be ...
airpods pro 2 botw

Hearing a Mysterious Chime From Your AirPods Pro Case? It's a Feature

Thursday January 9, 2025 3:42 pm PST by
If you've been hearing a chiming sound from your AirPods Pro 2 case when the AirPods are charging, it's a feature that Apple added with the launch of Hearing Health last year. In a support guide, Apple says that the AirPods Pro may play a sound every so often while in the case to ensure the microphones and speakers are working as intended. From Apple: To help ensure that your AirPods...
apple pay feature dynamic island

Apple Pay Now Lets You Pay Later With Synchrony [Updated]

Friday January 10, 2025 11:34 am PST by
Synchrony is now available as a buy-now, pay-later option when checking out with Apple Pay online and in apps on iPhone and iPad. Synchrony was added to a list of Apple Pay installment providers in the U.S. in an Apple support document that was updated today, joining Affirm and Klarna. The addition was spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 users can select...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected This Year: Here's What We Know

Wednesday January 8, 2025 7:05 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...

Top Rated Comments

kyjaotkb Avatar
123 months ago
It looks more like a Barnes and Noble.

This looks more warm and inviting, while BB are very bright and scream "Buy me!" everywhere I go.
Deffo - FNAC started as a bookshop mainly and expanded into CDs, videos and now gradually into consumer electronics over the past 20 years.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Danoc Avatar
123 months ago
Yes Fnac is much better than bestbuy and you can buy any smartphones unlocked.

It has always been more cultural, around arts and culture.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JeffyTheQuik Avatar
123 months ago
The Fnac retail store -- essentially equivalent to Best Buy --
It looks more like a Barnes and Noble.

This looks more warm and inviting, while BB are very bright and scream "Buy me!" everywhere I go.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ginkobiloba Avatar
123 months ago
Like others said, FNAC is more like the equivalent of Barnes&Nobles than BestBuy. It has the most extensive book section in France outside of independent libraries, and regularly hosts small cultural events like photo expositions, talks with various artists, etc..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mainyehc Avatar
123 months ago
How do you pronounce this store's name? Phonetically is it Eff-Nack? seems like an odd name, but then again it is french. :D:p
I am not completely sure about the french, but we pronounce it as a single word, and I am willing to bet they do, too (even though it's actually an acronym, from “Fédération nationale d'achats des cadres”, we all usually pronounce those as words as long as they don't have too many consonants or vowels in a row).

As for phonetics, we pronounce it like “snack” (but with an f instead of an s, obviously) and with the same a as in “far”. Seeing that both portuguese and french are romance languages, with very similar vowels, it should sound fairly similar. ;)
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MH01 Avatar
123 months ago
Is this rate, they will be in Tesco by the end of the year !
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)