This is the story of a heist that could not be more legal. At the end of November, while Thierry is quietly enjoying his vacation with his partner, his phone keeps vibrating. At the other end of the phone, Delphine Perret, responsible for engagement at FNAC, desperately tries to tell him the incredible news: among 40,000 participants in the competition for the brand’s 70th anniversary, it is he who hits the jackpot.
The first prize? A 70-second race against the clock in a privatized store, with carte blanche to snatch up to 7,000 euros of goods.
“We trained at home”
This Wednesday, December 11, the doors of the Coty shopping center are closed to the public. Inside, the atmosphere is electric. Like an athlete before a competition, Thierry refines his strategy. Because yes, this “heist” was carefully prepared. “We trained at home. In simulation, we completed everything in less than a minute”he confides with a mischievous smile to News Normandy.
Equipped like a pro with a GoPro (just to keep track of this historic moment and validate his choices) the “gentleman burglar” knows the terrain like the back of his hand. The rules are simple but strict: only one item at a time, and each item must be physically touched to be counted. A bailiff keeps watch, stopwatch in hand.
“It’s above all the pleasure of offering them”
On the big day, Thierry launches into the store’s aisles with the precision of a secret agent. Every movement is calculated, every second counts. Between the high-tech and culture sections, he slaloms with the agility of a feline. A vinyl turntable here, a state-of-the-art smartphone there, a laptop for his daughter… The loot accumulates while the seconds tick away inexorably.
But what makes this story so beautiful is the Christmas spirit that drives our winner who especially thought of his family. Most of his loot is in fact intended to garnish the base of the family tree. “I asked them before what they wanted. A computer for one of my daughters, a telephone for the other… Above all, it’s the pleasure of giving them.”
- A Le Havre resident wins the FNAC 70th anniversary competition among 40,000 participants
- He has 70 seconds to select up to €7,000 of products in a privatized store
- Mission accomplished brilliantly thanks to in-house training
