Toulouse: everything that has changed since the Fnac Wilson store opened 30 years ago
The brand of cultural and technical products celebrates its 30 years of presence on the site of the city center of Toulouse, on the Roosevelt alleys.
Older Toulouse residents probably remember the premises of Fnac, located in Place Saint-Georges instead of the current Gifi and former Tati. The younger ones have got into the habit of going to the alleys of President Roosevelt in the heart of the city and pushing the door of the cultural agitator, deployed there for 30 years this month of June. We consider, here, of 3,600 square meters, to light the director of the sign Laure Aoustin, it is a rather important surface in the city center, especially on the cultural part and the technical products. ” Michel Gramond, emeritus seller in the photo department who has been present in the store for 32 years, has followed all the technological developments but also, with fun, customers’ clothes and hair: “Since May 9, 1990, the date of my arrived, I saw a lot of changes! I even filmed the preparation for the move between the two sites with one of the first Sharp digital cameras with an adjustable screen, it was a bit of a revolution! And before here there were 50 shops, the American restaurant…”
Drones, manga, mobility
Michel alone retraces these years of technological development: “In photography, I remember the transition from film to digital, which no one believed in, and I remember the Canon ION with diskette which cost 5,900 francs at back then Sony released the same but with a bigger capacity. And today the return of the Polaroid and disposable cameras that young girls aged 14 to 24 are snapping up! I explain to them how to put a film in the camera, for them it’s science fiction! “And in the matter, Michel places himself there since he also provides demonstrations of drones in stores: “Their arrival, the evolution of digital technology, the advent of telephones has changed the situation in photography and video”. In the audio sector, the drop in CD sales has so far been offset by the return to favor of good old vinyl.
And K-Pop never tires of surprising Laure Aoustin: “We can compare the phenomenon to that of manga, the expansion is quite amazing. There is also a price of ecological conscience, hence the development of urban mobility products such as scooters, bicycles and we advise our customers of products with a high “repairability” index. We have also granted a new space to gaming and we are very much in demand on the multi-channel part (e-commerce)”. The Wilson site will still be evaluated in the coming months but still nothing on the radar concerning the site of the former UGC cinema selected for a move of the brand. To be continued…