Max Théret (6 January 191325 February 2009) was the co-founder of

Fnac Fnac () is a French multinational retail chain specializing in the sale of entertainment Media (communication), media and consumer electronics. Fnac was founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its headquarters is located in ''Le Flavia' ...

, originally ''Fédération nationale d’achats des cadres, or National Purchasing Federation for Middle Managers'', alongside André Essel. He was also a

freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

antifascist Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II, where the Axis powers were op ...

activist and a believer in

Trotskyism Trotskyism (, ) is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Russian revolutionary and intellectual Leon Trotsky along with some other members of the Left Opposition and the Fourth International. Trotsky described himself as an ...

Political career

Before the rise of the extreme right, Max Théret often engaged with street battles against French

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during the years following the death of

Vladimir Lenin Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov ( 187021 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician and political theorist. He was the first head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 until Death and state funeral of ...

and the intense power struggle between

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

and

Leon Trotsky Lev Davidovich Bronstein ( – 21 August 1940), better known as Leon Trotsky,; ; also transliterated ''Lyev'', ''Trotski'', ''Trockij'' and ''Trotzky'' was a Russian revolutionary, Soviet politician, and political theorist. He was a key figure ...

. Between 1936 and 1939, Max Théret joined the battle against

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (born Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general and dictator who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces i ...

in the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...

. After which he returned to France, where he met with Trotsky who was in exile, and became his informal bodyguard. During the Second World War he fought for the French army, and joined the resistance during the Occupation, helping to distribute leftist newspapers.

Forming of Fnac

Théret had a passion for photography which originally began in 1932. When hunted by the

Gestapo The (, ), Syllabic abbreviation, abbreviated Gestapo (), was the official secret police of Nazi Germany and in German-occupied Europe. The force was created by Hermann Göring in 1933 by combining the various political police agencies of F ...

, Théret left the Occupied Zone in 1942, moving to Grenoble, where he took up photography as a career. After the war, he trained as a photo laboratory technician, founded his own laboratory, and later constructed the first colour-processing machine in France. In 1951, while working for the

PTT PTT may refer to: Businesses and organizations * PTT Public Company Limited, a Thai oil and gas company * Pashtun Tahafuz Tehrik, a human rights movement in Pakistan * Pennsylvania Tunnel and Terminal Railroad, the New York Penn Station tunnel ow ...

telephone company, he founded Economie Nouvelle, a buying group that arranged discounts for members on products sold through participating merchants. In 1953, he met André Essel, the other co-founder of

, and the two conceived the idea of forming a new buyers club through a magazine called ''Contact''. Founded a year later in 1954, Fnac was exclusive to its members only, offering sharp discounts on its products, based on the founders' socialist principles. Their aim was to improve the lives of the workers, not through higher salaries but through lower prices. In 1974, Fnac began selling books at 80% off the

Recommended Retail Price The list price, also known as the manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP), or the recommended retail price (RRP), or the suggested retail price (SRP) of a product is the price at which its manufacturer notionally recommends that a retailer ...

, sparking protests and a law in 1982 that limited the level of discounts that could be offered on books. He left the company in 1981.

Sources

FNAC World Retail Congress Hall of Fame Biographies

The Times: Max Théret: French businessman and founder of the FNAC stores

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theret, Max 1913 births 2009 deaths Businesspeople from Paris Leon Trotsky French Freemasons