Protests and Looting Leave 1,500 Stores Damaged Across Major French Cities
Violent protests across France left around 1,500 stores looted and damaged, including luxury boutiques, supermarkets, and an Apple store, with repair costs exceeding 10 million euros.
Protests in Paris spiraled out of control over the weekend, leaving a trail of looted and vandalized stores across major French cities. Among the victims are branches of major supermarket chains such as Carrefour, Franprix, and Monoprix, as well as luxury boutiques including Yves Saint Laurent.
According to Alexandre Bompard, Chairman and CEO of Carrefour, approximately 50 of the chain's stores were damaged in cities including Paris, Lille, and Bordeaux. The French Retail Federation estimated that roughly 1,500 stores were affected overall, including an Hermès boutique in Marseille and an Apple store in Lille that was broken into and emptied of its products.
"My heart goes out to the 1,500 stores belonging to other retail chains and to all shopkeepers who suffered this unacceptable violence," Bompard added, noting that the destruction will have significant human and economic consequences. Repair costs alone are expected to exceed 10 million euros.
Luxury and designer brands were hit particularly hard. On Avenue Montaigne in Paris, storefront windows of Louis Vuitton and Jil Sander shops were shattered, while a Céline boutique was completely looted. Other cities also saw attacks on major brands like Hugo Boss, while the Galeries Lafayette group reported severe impacts on department stores in Bordeaux and Nantes.
