Apple Watch Expands to Retail Locations Outside of Apple Stores in France - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

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 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

Popular Stories

apple watch series 11 pink

Apple Starts Selling Refurbished Apple Watch Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3

Friday June 5, 2026 2:14 pm PDT by
Apple is now selling refurbished versions of the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3 at discounted prices. This is the first time the Series 11, Ultra 3, and SE 3 have been available through Apple's online refurbished store since the devices launched last September. Refurbished pricing on the 46mm GPS Apple Watch Series 11 starts at $369, down from $429, while ...
Apple Watch Series 9 Pink Aluminum Feature

watchOS 27 Drops Support for Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra 1, SE 2, and Older

Monday June 8, 2026 11:37 am PDT by
Apple today confirmed that watchOS 27 will not support the Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Ultra (first generation), or Apple Watch SE (second generation), effectively drawing a line at devices equipped with the S9 or S10 chip. The only Apple Watch models compatible with watchOS 27 are the Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, Ultra 3, and SE 3. The cuts are the biggest...
Apple Watch Series 9

Apple Watch Series 9 Mistakenly Left Off watchOS 27 Compatibility List

Monday June 8, 2026 4:17 pm PDT by
Apple today confirmed that the Apple Watch Series 9 is compatible with watchOS 27, after the device was mistakenly omitted from the software's official compatibility page. Apple updated its website immediately following its WWDC 2026 keynote, and the watchOS 27 page listed a shorter compatibility list than many users expected: the Apple Watch SE 3, Series 10, Series 11, Ultra 2, and Ultra 3. ...

Top Rated Comments

142 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)
142 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)
ginkobiloba Avatar
142 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)
JeffyTheQuik Avatar
142 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)
Mainyehc Avatar
142 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)
142 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 should sound fairly similar. ;)
In France, we pronounce it "ph-nack", "ph" from phone, and "nack" from snack as Mainyehc said :)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)