French retailers call for support after riots

The recent riots in France have also affected retail, with sales slumps of up to 36 %. Trade federations are therefore asking for support following the looting and forced closures.

Up to 36% sales missed

The death of a 17-year-old boy in a police intervention caused an uproar across France. The riots in recent days also affected retail in the process: nationwide sales are said to have fallen by 2 to 3 %, according to trade federation Alliance du Commerce, but in some cities the damage is much higher.

In Paris, retailers are said to have sold up to 34 % less in some neighbourhoods, while they also faced looting and vandalism. In Strasbourg, sales were even reported to have fallen by 36 %, and in the northern French town of Arras by 35 %. Quite a few shops were also forced to close their doors earlier, FashionUnited reports.

The riots happened to coincide with the start of the summer sales, making the timing all the more unfortunate. Branch organisation Alliance du Commerce stresses that a quarter of turnover is normally already realised within the first five days of the sale period, so the organisation is asking to exceptionally allow to open shops on Sunday 9 July in order to compensate for the lost sales. The alliance is also asking for government compensation for damages suffered and a guarantee that insurers will intervene.