Sephora, Burberry and Louis Vuitton are among the retailers affected by widespread looting and vandalism across France, with an estimated 1,500 shops targeted during violent protests.
The unrest erupted on Saturday as demonstrations over the cost of living and education descended into violence across Paris and several other French cities.
Luxury boutiques including Burberry, Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior Parfums on Paris’s Rue Saint-Honoré were among those damaged or targeted, alongside Celine, Lacoste, Kenzo, Salomon and Arc’teryx.
Sephora closed its entire French store network from 5pm on Saturday and kept stores shut on Sunday after several branches were ransacked and employees confronted violence.
Catherine Spindler, president of Sephora Europe and the Middle East, said the decision was taken to protect staff and customers.
“No commercial consideration will ever outweigh the safety of our teams and our customers,” she said.
Galeries Lafayette was also badly affected, with executive chairman Nicolas Houzé saying almost all the department store group’s locations had suffered damage.
Its stores in Bordeaux, Nantes, Rennes, Tours, Perpignan and Chambéry were among the worst hit.
Houzé said the scale of the destruction was the worst the business had experienced since the Yellow Vests protests of 2018 and 2019.
He warned that the violence threatened not only retailers’ finances but also France’s reputation as a destination for international visitors.
Lacoste parent company Maus Frères chief executive Thierry Guibert also condemned the attacks after Lacoste and Aigle stores were looted, calling on the French government to intervene.
Carrefour faces €10m repair bill
The damage extended well beyond luxury shopping districts.
Carrefour chief executive Alexandre Bompard said 50 of the supermarket group’s stores had been targeted, including 19 convenience stores and supermarkets that were looted.
He estimated that repair costs would exceed €10 million, with dozens of employees working for franchise partners expected to be placed on short-time working arrangements.
Other retailers affected included Apple and Decathlon in Bordeaux, Fnac in Nantes and Intermarché, which reported damage to around 10 stores.
Bompard, who also chairs French retail trade body Fédération du commerce et de la distribution, estimated that the unrest had affected around 1,500 businesses nationwide.
He warned that the total damage bill could run into several hundred million euros, although the figure remains preliminary.
The Confédération des Commerçants de France said the consequences for independent retailers could extend far beyond the immediate loss of stock and damage to premises.
It warned that businesses faced potentially lengthy closures, insurance claims and the cost of rebuilding their customer trade, with some particularly exposed in the run-up to the crucial Christmas period.
French commerce minister Serge Papin is due to meet retailers, banks and insurers today to assess the losses and discuss support for affected businesses.
President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence in a televised address on Sunday, promising that those responsible for looting would be held accountable.
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