Riot-ravaged luxury stores in Paris fear more mayhem, looting

Across Paris’ toniest shopping districts, luxury boutiques bear the scars of a weekend of rioting that filled social media feeds around the world. Now they are bracing for the possibility of another round.

On the avenue Champs-Elysees, Louis Vuitton’s flagship store has metallic grates protecting its windows that are not there at quieter times, as does the Christian Dior Couture emporium on avenue Montaigne, a nexus of high-end shopping in Paris’ eighth arrondissement. Both stores escaped serious damage last weekend, even as shops elsewhere were less fortunate.

Boarded up windows and doors line the rue Saint-Honore, not far from France’s presidential palace, where mobs on Saturday broke into and looted shops including those of Burberry, Christian Dior perfumes and Guerlain. All three boutiques remained closed on Wednesday, as did a Salomon sportswear store on the nearby boulevard de la Madeleine that was similarly ravaged.

An Hermes boutique on avenue George V, close to the Champs-Elysees, suffered broken windows. The brand’s store in Marseille fared far worse and “won’t reopen any time soon” after being ransacked by rioters, chief financial officer Eric du Halgouet told reporters on a call on Thursday. Hermes has since boosted security measures, he said.

The violence followed protests last Saturday that drew more than half a million people across France. As night fell, roving bands of hooded and masked rioters hit hundreds of shops, smashing windows, destroying equipment and running off with merchandise.

The turmoil abated after curfews and transport restrictions were imposed on Monday, but protesters’ call for another day of unrest this Saturday has residents, authorities and shopkeepers on edge.

The brazen attacks and ineffectual police response prompted an outcry from retailers, among others, and led to a profit warning from Carrefour, one of the country’s largest grocers. About 50 of its stores were hit on the first day of rioting, with many looted and damaged, CEO Alexandre Bompard told financial analysts on Tuesday.

The unrest is hurting consumer confidence, dissuading shoppers and driving up costs for security and logistics, Bompard said. Carrefour expects a hit to profitability of as much as €200 million (US$225 million).

Laurent Milchior, who heads lingerie brand Etam, told BFM Business that the destruction over the weekend represented €1 million in lost sales and another €500,000 from stolen goods and damage to its stores. “If it’s a one off, it’ll work out, but the issue is if it lasts,” he said, referring to repeated days of protests that degenerate into violence.

He called on President Emmanuel Macron to mobilise the army to deal with these events as anti-riot police and other forces were outmatched.

Thierry Guibert, the CEO of Lacoste owner Maus Freres, urged the state in a social media post “to mobilise without delay all legal means it has to put an end to the violence, protect our citizens, our police officers, our workers and our companies”.

Galeries Lafayette, after suffering damage and looting at locations including boulevard Haussmann in Paris and in Bordeaux, said the material and economic consequences will be significant.

In response to the attacks, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu promised “massive” security measures around this Saturday’s protests in remarks to the National Assembly. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez is scheduled to detail those plans on Thursday.

The impact of the rioting is likely to ripple across the tourism industry, particularly if it carries on. Images of violence have led to cancellations at high-end Paris hotels, according to Christophe Laure, who heads UMIH Prestige, which represents four- and five-star hotels. Well-heeled guests of those establishments often tend to shop at the local luxury stores.

“It’s too early today to assess whether this will have an impact on foreign tourist clientele in coming weeks,” Hermes’ du Halgouet said.

With demand for luxury goods in China already weak and the wider industry in a slump, an extended drop in tourist purchases in France would come at a difficult moment. That is especially the case with the Christmas shopping season just getting under way. Milan, another European luxury shopping destination, also experienced looting in the past few days.

Two prominent events likely to lure foreign visitors are still going ahead this weekend. The Art Basel Paris fair, at the Grand Palais, said it “has extensive protocols in place” for the show and “works closely with a private security company and, where necessary, the Paris police”.

On Sunday, the National Football League will hold a game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France, the stadium in the suburbs of Paris where a Champions League finale in 2022 ended in scenes of chaos and violence as local individuals assaulted football fans. Security will be heightened for the game, Associated Press reported.

Not everyone has been deterred by the unrest. On the Champs-Elysees on Tuesday, Dallas resident Keegan May and his girlfriend stepped out of the Louis Vuitton store after buying a bag costing €2,200. May has spent a month in France, mostly working in the town of Vannes, in Brittany, and came to Paris for a holiday.

He was on the left bank when the riots took place and saw little of the mayhem. Asked if the turmoil had soured his desire to return to Paris, he answered: “We’ll come back, but we’ll aim to stay in places like Vannes, which is lovely, quieter, and generally less stressful.”