Looting and damage hit retailers across French cities

Looting and damage struck retailers in several French cities during protests over living costs, public services and education, with luxury boutiques, sports stores, supermarkets and electronics shops among those affected. The incidents were reported on October 17 and 18, as demonstrations drew hundreds of thousands of participants nationwide. In Marseille, a Louis Vuitton store was looted. In Paris, a Celine boutique on Avenue Montaigne was ransacked, and retailers including Dior were also targeted. In Bordeaux, a Decathlon store was looted and set on fire, with flames reaching the building’s facade. Apple stores in Bordeaux and Lille were among the businesses hit, while attacks and damage were also reported in cities including Lille, Limoges and Lyon. Alexandre Bompard, president of the Fédération du commerce et de la distribution and chief executive of Carrefour, estimated that about 1,500 businesses had been affected and that nationwide losses were in the hundreds of millions of euros. He described the figure as an early estimate, with the final cost not yet established. Carrefour separately expected repair costs exceeding €10 million for its own affected premises. The...