Up to 82% off, 25 days early: Fnac and Darty open France's Black Friday season

The French press reports discounts at two big French chains from today, almost four weeks before Black Friday. Singles Day on 11 November comes first, and the press is already questioning crossed-out prices.

France is first out of the blocks. Ouest-France reports discounts at Fnac and Darty from today, 2 November, 25 days before Black Friday on 27 November.

France: two chains, one start date

According to Ouest-France, Fnac is offering discounts of up to 82% and Darty is clearing stock at up to 70%. Both offers run from today, according to the paper. Two large electronics chains starting on the same day points to a shared pre-Black Friday window in France.

Singles Day comes first

Before Black Friday comes Singles Day on 11 November. A Swedish shopping guide confirms the date, and in Italy AliExpress is promoting its 11.11 event with coupons and PayPal discounts. Italian electronics are busy too: Euronics is setting up its Black Friday against Amazon on tech.

Watch the crossed-out price

In France, Le Tribunal du Net warns shoppers about inflated reference prices, the "was" figure printed next to a discount. In Portugal, 4gnews explains what the law gives shoppers ahead of 27 November. When a retailer advertises up to 82% off, the reference price decides what that discount really means.

What's next

Singles Day on 11 November is the next fixed date. We will follow the French early starts on the retailers' own sites.

Sources and method: Dealmeteo's daily readings of more than 150 retailers in 11 European markets on 2 November 2026, plus news from Ouest-France, ChinaSmartBuy, HurBra.se, Le Tribunal du Net and 4gnews. The retailer offers in this brief are as reported by the press. How we measure.

This analysis was drafted with AI tools from data collected by Dealmeteo, then reviewed and approved by our editor, who is responsible for its content. How we work