Louis Vuitton and Hermès boutiques looted in France — Channel NewsAsia

During mass unrest in France, Louis Vuitton and Hermès stores were looted in Marseille, while in Paris attackers damaged or looted a number of other retail outlets. The unrest and looting began after protests over insufficient school funding and the cost of living, Channel NewsAsia reports.

On Saturday, six masked people attempted to ram the display windows of the Louis Vuitton boutique on Place Vendôme in Paris with a road barrier. They failed to get inside: a brand employee said the special windows withstood the impact. Nearby, Ralph Lauren display windows were smashed, while the Kenzo boutique was looted. The Dior store on Rue Royale avoided an attack after staff lowered protective shutters.

Store looting

Other targets in Paris included a Burberry boutique. Windows at the Graff jewelry store on Place Vendôme were smashed, while the facade of the Dior boutique on Rue Saint-Honoré was covered with anti-police slogans and graffiti. Social media videos also showed at least a dozen private security guards forming a perimeter around the Dior flagship store on Avenue Montaigne.

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Across the country, JD Sports stores, around 20 stores of the Sephora cosmetics chain, and an Apple store in Lille were looted. A Tesla dealership in central Paris was covered in slogans. A Societe Generale bank branch was closed, and its doors were doused with pink paint.

Damage and efforts to prevent resale

According to preliminary estimates by Trade Minister Serge Papin, at least 3,000 businesses across France were affected by the unrest. The government promised emergency financial support and employment assistance for affected companies. Morningstar forecasts that insurance payouts after the unrest will total between €1 billion and €1.2 billion, exceeding the €730 million in insured losses following the 2023 unrest.

French ministers met with representatives of Vinted, Amazon, eBay, Meta and TikTok to discuss removing suspicious listings and identifying sellers of stolen goods. Vinted said it had strengthened monitoring of such listings and was cooperating with law enforcement and French authorities. On Monday evening, the situation in French cities became calmer, as curfews helped reduce the unrest.