Sales plunge at shopping centres in France as rioters target luxury retailers

Luxury retailers including Louis Vuitton, Hermes and Kenzo were targeted during a weekend of riots and looting across France, according to a report by The Financial Times.

Six masked individuals used a road barrier to try to smash the windows of Louis Vuitton's boutique at Paris' Place Vendome on Saturday (Oct 17), but failed to break in.

Other stores were less fortunate, with a Kenzo boutique in Paris looted and Louis Vuitton and Hermes outlets in Marseille targeted, French media reports said.

A Dior store on Rue Royale in Paris escaped damage after employees lowered its security shutters, while a nearby Ralph Lauren outlet had its windows smashed.

Fashion retailers across France recorded an average 14 per cent drop in revenue on the day of the protests, according to the Alliance du Commerce trade association, AFP reported.

The decline was steeper in city centres, where boutiques saw revenue fall 34 per cent, while shopping centres recorded a 40 per cent drop. 

@asiaone France is sending in the military to help 60,000 police officers after massive riots hit luxury shopping districts, where crowds looted high-end stores. #news #France #Police #LawEnforcement #Retail ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

In Paris, fashion retailers' revenue fell by an average 27 per cent, with the République–Grands Boulevards–Haut Marais area recording a 59 per cent decline.

The unrest followed protests over underfunded schools and the rising cost of living, with police struggling to contain the disorder.

At least 3,000 businesses across France were affected, according to preliminary estimates cited by French commerce minister Serge Papin. 

Insured losses are expected to reach between €1 billion ($1.44 billion) and €1.2 billion, according to estimates.

The French authorities are working with online platforms including Vinted, Amazon, eBay, Meta and TikTok to identify suspicious listings and prevent stolen goods from being resold.

Paris police imposed an overnight curfew in two areas of the French capital on Oct 19, in a bid to prevent further disorder following widespread rioting and looting.

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