Luxury Retailers Brace for Further Looting as Protests Sweep Europe
Luxury merchants across Europe are on high alert after a wave of looting hit hundreds of stores in Paris and other French cities. Brands such as Saint Laurent, Celine, Dior and Louis Vuitton were among those ransacked as demonstrators protesting the cost of living and inequality drew students and members of the Yellow Vests movement.
Organisers are already warning of additional strikes and rallies over the next three weekends. In Milan, several boutiques have closed their doors and troops have been deployed in anticipation of unrest in the Italian fashion hub, while protests have also erupted in towns throughout the country. Similar demonstrations have unfolded in Spain, Belgium and Portugal in recent weeks, with tensions rising since the weekend.
On Tuesday the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM), which runs Paris Fashion Week, issued a statement: “Following the damage and looting that occurred on the sidelines of the demonstrations on October 17 and 18, FHCM expresses its full support for its members and, more broadly, for all businesses whose activities have been affected. The Fédération stands ready to assist its members with any related procedures and has shared a note outlining the safety guidelines to follow and the relevant contact details.”
Yann Rivoallan, president of the Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin, told Vogue Business that his organisation is prepared to help its 600 member brands – including Gerard Darel – file insurance claims, pursue legal action where coverage is lacking and arrange psychological support for staff. “There is a strong sense of isolation among shopkeepers,” he said. “They are left with damaged stores, no stock if the entire fall‑winter collection has been looted, and they are deeply concerned that, if this happens again, they may not have the financial resources to recover.”
Small‑business owners are especially vulnerable. One Parisian shopkeeper, who asked to remain anonymous, said the premises are still intact but “things have come to blows” and the store is now preparing for further looting by organising street patrols.
In anticipation of the next planned protest in Paris, some retailers intend to shut their doors on Saturday, shift staff to department‑store boutiques that will stay open, hide merchandise in back‑room stock, reinforce windows and, where possible, lower metal security shutters – a measure that often requires building‑owner approval because it alters the façade. Several firms are also considering pooling private security resources.
The Saint Laurent shop on Rue Saint‑Honoré and the Dior boutique on Avenue Montaigne were both photographed in the days after the unrest. The Galeries Lafayette flagship on Haussmann was targeted last Saturday, but rioters largely failed to breach the premises. Some Galeries Lafayette locations outside Paris were successfully looted. The Haussmann store has since reduced the number of entrances to control foot traffic and covered its windows with blackout stickers as a precaution, even as it prepares to unveil its holiday windows on November 12.
Printemps confirmed that several of its stores were affected. The ground floor of Printemps Lyon was looted, and the Haussmann, Lille and Rouen sites suffered damage to storefront windows without any break‑ins. All locations reopened on October 19, and the chain is reviewing additional security measures for customers, staff and the buildings.
Sybille Roger‑Vasselin’s boutique Petite Mendigote, near Place de la République, was looted on Sunday. With a broken window awaiting assessment and repair by insurers, the shop will remain closed for the week. “It means an additional loss in revenues, and that’s already challenging,” Roger‑Vasselin said. “We felt alone, facing a state that had abandoned us. We saw shopkeepers defending their stores with iron bars. It’s surreal. We are now taking stock of what was stolen, but the losses will amount to tens of thousands of euros and insurance will not cover the full amount.” She added that the only bright spot has been the flood of supportive messages received on Instagram.
Across the continent, protesters are voicing local grievances, but the underlying themes – concerns about education and soaring living costs – are common throughout Europe. Looting tends to accompany the demonstrations as opportunists exploit the chaos. Luxury fashion houses, because of the affluent clientele they serve, have become frequent targets, while sports and outerwear brands such as Adidas, JD Sports, Arc’teryx and Pyrenex have also been hit.
Since Saturday, stolen goods have begun appearing on resale platforms including Vinted and eBay. On Monday, France’s digital affairs minister Anne Le Hénanff urged these sites to monitor and ban listings of stolen items. “We expect these platforms to remove the listings in question without delay. They will also be required to work closely with public authorities, so that those reselling potentially stolen goods can be identified and prosecuted,” she wrote on X.