Furet
Furet du Nord is a privately held French regional bookstore chain founded in 1921, operating 18 physical stores across northern France and 2 in Belgium plus the Furet.com e-commerce platform. It sells books, e-books, board games, and stationery to general consumers, students, and families via hybrid online, click-and-collect, and in-store channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1800
- HeadquartersLa France, France
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Furet does
Furet du Nord is a privately held French bookstore chain headquartered in Lille, founded in 1921, operating 18 physical retail stores across the Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France, and Grand Est regions, plus two stores in Belgium (Louvain-la-Neuve and Namur). The company sells physical books, e-books, e-readers, board games, and stationery through both brick-and-mortar locations and its national e-commerce platform Furet.com, with an inventory of more than 2 million product references. It is ranked the 3rd largest online bookstore in France.
The business is built on a hybrid physical-digital model: customers can order online with home delivery (€0.01 shipping over €35) or use free click-and-collect pickup at any of the 18 stores within two hours. The company operates a loyalty program, hosts hundreds of in-store author events and workshops annually, and runs a used-book buy-back and trade-in program extended in 2023 via the Seconde Lecture mobile app on iOS and Android. Adjacent revenue streams include ticketing (Ticketmaster partnership) and e-reader hardware (Vivlio partnership). The technology stack consists of an e-commerce storefront with integrated inventory management, in-store POS systems, and a digital reader platform; no proprietary AI/ML capabilities, patents, or API platform are disclosed.
Furet du Nord makes money predominantly through unit-priced retail transactions on books and media, with revenue streams including in-store and online book sales, e-book and e-reader sales, used-book trade-in (store-credit model), event ticketing fees, and gaming/stationery sales. The customer base is fully B2C, segmented horizontally into general readers, students and educators, and gaming families. The company is associated with the Decitre professional platform (decitrepro.fr) and shows no disclosed external investors, funding rounds, M&A activity, or public market exposure; revenue, headcount, and ownership structure are not publicly disclosed.
Furet firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Furet
- Legal name
- Furet du Nord
- Website
- https://furet.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1800
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Furet du Nord is a privately held French regional bookstore chain founded in 1921, operating 18 physical stores across northern France and 2 in Belgium plus the Furet.com e-commerce platform. It sells books, e-books, board games, and stationery to general consumers, students, and families via hybrid online, click-and-collect, and in-store channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Furet is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- La France
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices20 records
Markets served
Furet business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Retail book and media sales: Physical and online retail sales of books, e-books, board games, and stationery. The company offers over 2 million product references across its online platform and 18 physical stores.
- E-book sales and digital content: Sale of digital e-books and e-readers (liseuses) with compatible reading devices and accessories.
- Used book resale service: Buy-back program for used books, allowing customers to sell their books and receive store credit, with support through the 'Seconde Lecture' mobile application.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | — | Standard book pricing across all categories |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Furet product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Furet du Nord is a multi-channel French bookseller and cultural products retailer offering over 2 million physical and digital book references, board games, stationery, and e-readers through 18 physical stores in France and Belgium and an e-commerce platform (Furet.com). The company complements sales with services including a used book buy-back program (via the Seconde Lecture mobile app), in-store author events and signings, a loyalty program, click-and-collect, and home delivery.
Product overview
Furet du Nord operates as a multi-channel bookseller and cultural retailer offering physical books, ebooks, used books, board games, and stationery through both physical retail locations and an online platform. The company runs 18 bookstores across northern France (Hauts-de-France, Ile-de-France, Grand Est regions) and Belgium (Louvain-la-Neuve, Namur), plus a third-party logistics e-commerce operation. Product portfolio includes: physical books (Livres) across 15+ categories including literature, youth, comics/manga, arts, practical life, school books, travel, humanities, sciences; digital ebooks and e-reader devices (Ebooks & Liseuses) with audio books; used/secondhand books (Livres d'occasion) with trade-in programs; board games and puzzles (Jeux) from major publishers; and stationery (Papeterie). Services include book buyback programs, a mobile app (Seconde Lecture) for buying/selling used books, in-store events with author signings, free 2-hour store pickup, home delivery, and a loyalty program.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Seconde Lecture: Mobile application for buying and selling used books
Products and services
- Physical Books (Livres) Physical books across all categories including literature, youth, comics/manga, practical life, school books, travel guides, humanities, sciences, bestsellers, new releases, pre-orders, and discounted titles. Sold to individual consumers via 18 stores and online.
- E-books and E-readers (Ebooks & Liseuses)
Companies that use Furet
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Furet technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Furet partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Seconde Lecture (Second Lectoure)minorMobile application partnership for the used book buy-back program. Customers can download the app to sell their used books and receive store credit.
- TicketmasterminorTicket sales partnership for events and entertainment tickets available through Furet.com.
- VivliominorE-reader brand partnership featuring promotional offers on Vivlio e-readers sold at Furet du Nord stores.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Furet competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Waterstones: United Kingdom's leading specialty bookstore chain with strong physical-store presence and e-commerce. Comparable as a heritage national bookstore chain operating in a separate geography.
- Indigo Books & Music: Canada's largest bookstore chain with physical stores, e-commerce, and a multi-category cultural-products offering including toys and gifts. Comparable as a multi-channel cultural retailer in a non-French market.
Broad incumbents
- Amazon: Dominant global e-commerce platform with the largest book catalog in France and aggressive pricing. Represents the principal online competitive threat to Furet du Nord's e-commerce and pricing structure.
- La Redoute: Historic French omnichannel retailer with strong e-commerce and brand recognition in northern France. Comparable as a heritage French retailer transitioning multi-category retail toward digital channels.
- Fnac: France's largest cultural and electronics retailer with a substantial book category across physical stores and a leading e-commerce site. Overlaps with Furet du Nord in books, e-readers, and events but operates at significantly larger scale and broader category scope.
Direct peers
- Sauramps: Long-standing French regional bookstore chain based in Montpellier, combining physical stores with an online platform and cultural events program, comparable in scope and regional-brand positioning to Furet du Nord.
- Eyrolles: French bookstore specializing in professional, technical, and academic titles with a strong e-commerce platform. Comparable as a French-language bookseller with both online and physical presence.
- Decitre: French bookstore chain with both physical stores and e-commerce presence (Decitre.com). Appears directly affiliated to Furet du Nord via the shared DecitrePro professional site, sharing brand infrastructure and likely back-office operations.
- Cultura: Major French cultural-products retailer selling books, stationery, board games, and creative hobbies through a large physical-store network and e-commerce site. Directly comparable multi-category cultural retail model.
- Gibert Joseph: Historic French independent bookstore chain with multiple Paris locations and a strong secondhand book trade-in program, mirroring Furet du Nord's hybrid new/used book and physical-store model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Furet social profiles
Digital presenceFuret financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Furet leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Furet funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Furet M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Furet
What does Furet do?
Furet du Nord is a multi-channel French bookseller and cultural products retailer offering over 2 million physical and digital book references, board games, stationery, and e-readers through 18 physical stores in France and Belgium and an e-commerce platform (Furet.com). The company complements sales with services including a used book buy-back program (via the Seconde Lecture mobile app), in-store author events and signings, a loyalty program, click-and-collect, and home delivery.
Is Furet a public or private company?
Furet is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Furet founded?
Furet was founded in 1800. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Furet based?
Furet is headquartered in La France, France, in the Europe region.
How does Furet make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Retail book and media sales are the primary driver. The others are E-book sales and digital content and used book resale service.
Who are Furet's main competitors?
Regional players on record are Waterstones and Indigo Books & Music. Broad incumbents are Amazon, La Redoute and Fnac. Direct peers are Sauramps, Eyrolles, Decitre, Cultura and Gibert Joseph.
Does Furet have an API?
No public API is recorded for Furet.