France Riots: Louis Vuitton, Hermès Among Luxury Boutiques Targeted by Looters
PARIS: Retailers across France have begun assessing their losses following last weekend’s riots, which saw businesses vandalised and luxury boutiques targeted by looters.
On Saturday, six masked individuals reportedly used a road barrier to smash the windows of a Louis Vuitton boutique at Place Vendôme in Paris, as dozens of black-clad individuals cheered them on.
However, the group failed to gain entry to the boutique.
“We have special security windows that were able to withstand the attack, but for the most part, we were lucky,” said an employee of the luxury brand.
“It is heartbreaking. These are not protesters, but individuals who came solely to destroy and steal.”
However, several other retailers were less fortunate during the weekend of rioting and looting across France, which erupted following protests over insufficient school funding and the rising cost of living.
In Paris, businesses in prominent areas such as the Champs-Élysées typically install protective barriers as a precaution ahead of demonstrations or celebrations of sporting events that could turn violent.
Authorities also usually instruct construction sites to ensure building materials are securely stored.
However, preparations for the latest demonstrations appeared to have been different from usual, as the protests did not follow the customary pattern of coordination between trade unions and police.
Law enforcement officers were subsequently reported to have lost control of the situation as the riots intensified on Saturday.
“We could see the police retreating along the street as they were overwhelmed by groups of rioters,” said a Dior employee.
The Dior boutique on Rue Royale was spared after staff lowered its security shutters at around 4 pm.
However, across the street, the windows of a Ralph Lauren store were smashed, while a Kenzo boutique was looted.
“I don’t understand how the police could have been so unprepared. My children have social media, and they seemed to know that things were going to get very bad this weekend,” the employee said.
Conditions in French cities became calmer by Monday night after the introduction of curfews helped reduce the unrest.
Footage circulating on social media throughout the weekend showed at least 12 private security guards forming a protective cordon around Dior’s flagship boutique on Avenue Montaigne.
One of the security guards, Zaur Djabrailov, said most of them voluntarily remained on duty until late Saturday night out of solidarity, despite protesters warning them to return home for their own safety.
A Burberry boutique was also targeted in Paris, while Louis Vuitton and Hermès stores in Marseille were looted.
A Graff jewellery store at Place Vendôme remained closed on Monday after its windows were smashed.
A Dior boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré remained open, although its storefront had been defaced with anti-police slogans and graffiti.
Authorities are now working to prevent stolen goods from being resold through online platforms.
On Monday, French ministers met with several resale platforms and technology companies, including Vinted, Amazon, eBay, Meta and TikTok, to discuss efforts to remove suspicious listings and identify sellers.
Some luxury goods are also equipped with unique serial numbers or chips that can help match stolen items with inventory records.
“Since last weekend, our teams have acted swiftly to identify and remove listings potentially linked to stolen goods, while stepping up monitoring of suspicious listings,” Vinted said.
“We are actively cooperating with law enforcement agencies and the French authorities.”
Thousands of Businesses Affected
The riots did not exclusively target luxury brands.
JD Sports outlets were also ransacked, along with approximately 20 Sephora beauty stores nationwide and an Apple Store in Lille.
In central Paris, a Tesla showroom was defaced with slogans targeting its chief executive officer, Elon Musk.
A nearby Société Générale bank branch was also closed after its doors were splashed with pink paint, while slogans condemning the right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) party were scrawled on the premises.
Associations representing businesses along the Champs-Élysées, Saint-Honoré, Vendôme and several other upscale districts in Paris strongly condemned the attacks on commercial premises, describing them as “completely unjustifiable”.
“The freedom to demonstrate is a fundamental right, a source of pride for our Republic and our democratic tradition.
“Paris must not surrender to rioters. We refuse to allow fear to take over our streets. Those who live and work here will not accept it,” the associations said in a joint statement on Monday.
The damage was also felt by small businesses and was not limited to multinational corporations.
Preliminary estimates indicated that at least 3,000 business premises had been affected by the riots across France, according to Trade Minister Serge Papin.
The French government has also pledged financial assistance and emergency employment support for affected businesses.
According to Morningstar, insured losses are expected to range between €1 billion and €1.2 billion, exceeding the €730 million in insured losses recorded following the 2023 riots.
“Behind every smashed storefront is an entrepreneur, an employee, a family and often the result of years of hard work,” said Pierre Bosche, president of the French Confederation of Traders.
“We refuse to allow traders to once again become victims of violence that has nothing to do with them.”
Meanwhile, the owner of a small phone repair and convenience store near Gare du Nord said he feared for his safety when approximately 100 young people dressed in black attempted to break into his premises on Sunday night.
He estimated the cost of repairing the damage at between €7,000 and €10,000.
“Fifteen minutes alone behind a glass window, facing that many people, felt like a very long time,” he said, holding back tears.
He said he had contacted the police for assistance, but no officers arrived at the scene.
The Financial Times