Yann Rivoallan, president of Fédération Française du Prêt à Porter Féminin, or the French Federation of Women’s Ready-to-Wear, told Vogue Business on Tuesday that the organization is prepared to help its members — which include 600 premium brands including Gerard Darel — file insurance claims, seek legal action if they are uninsured, and navigate psychological support service for team members. “There is a strong sense of isolation among shopkeepers. 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 left particularly vulnerable. One shop owner in Paris, who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of attracting attention, says that while their shop is intact, “things have come to blows”, and the store is now prepping resources for more looting, including street patrols.
Among initiatives ahead of the next planned protest in Paris, some retailers plan to close stores on Saturday, relocate staff to department store boutiques that will remain open, hide products in the stockroom, reinforce their windows, pull down the metal security shutter if they have one (adding one often requires the approval of the building, since it modifies the facade), and are considering pooling private security services.
The Galeries Lafayette Haussmann flagship was targeted last Saturday, but rioters largely failed to break in. (Some Galeries Lafayette stores outside Paris were successfully looted.) The Haussmann store has since reduced the number of entrances to better control the flows and has covered its windows with blackout stickers as a precautionary measure. (This comes as the department store plans to kick off the festive season with the unveiling of its holiday windows on November 12.)
Several Printemps stores have also been affected, a spokesperson confirmed. The ground floor of Printemps Lyon was looted, and there was external damage — to storefront windows, with no actual break-ins — at Printemps Haussmann, Printemps Lille, and Printemps Rouen. All spaces reopened on October 19, and the spokesperson confirmed that Printemps is currently considering further measures to ensure the safety of its customers, staff and buildings.
Sybille Roger-Vasselin’s store near Place de la République, housing her ready-to-wear label Petite Mendigote, was looted on Sunday. Given the time it takes to have the now-broken window assessed by insurance experts and repaired, and in light of the upcoming protests, the store will have to remain closed all week. “It means an additional loss in revenues, and that’s already challenging,” Roger-Vasselin says. “We felt alone, facing a state that had abandoned us. We saw shopkeepers defending their stores with iron bars. It’s surreal. We’re currently taking stock of what was stolen, but the losses will amount to tens of thousands of euros. The insurance won’t cover the full amount.”
