By Suzanna Kerridge, 29 August 2000 16:43
NEWS Amazon.fr will officially go live in France this Thursday, following weeks of speculation. The French language bookstore will sell a mixture of French and foreign language titles, CDs, videos and DVDs. The company, headed by Denis Terrein, will be based at Guyancourt, Yves Lines, while the distribution centre will be Orleans. Under French law, book prices are restricted, so the online store can offer no more than a five per cent discount on titles. But, Diego Piacentini, vice president and general manager of Amazon's international operations claimed Amazon will win market share through its customer service. He said: "There is a huge market but it is not a market where for one to win, the others will lose. We are in the business of customer service, not forecasting how many clicks we will get. We are hoping to build on our base of French customers that already use other Amazon sites." Corentin De Tregomain marketing director at online classic book company classicforum.com welcomed the news but warned the company will have to work hard to convert French citizens already using established companies such as Proxis and Alapage. He said: "It is important for Amazon to be in France, but it is nothing more than the same service as Alapage and there are cheaper companies such as Proxis - but they are a company that has the expertise and brand awareness to do well in France." The site will not only target the 60 million French citizens living in France, but also the 100 million French speakers around the world. Jean Francois Tougard, managing partner at research house Strategy Partners in France, said: "There will be a lot of competition from companies such as Fnac but that is only within France. The most important thing is that from day one, French language books will be available around the world from one site." Meanwhile, online book and music store Fnac.com announced it will be delivering goods to its customers within 24 hours instead of the usual 48 hours.
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