French retailers warn of sales losses from weekend protests, Digi Mart USA News: Store owners in France’s major city centers have grown wary of Saturday mobilizations since October 17, as a movement against the high cost of living continues on November 7. Some storefronts have been covered with large wooden panels.
Laure Brunet-Ruinart, general delegate of the Confédération des commerçants de France, went so far as to question the right to demonstrate on Saturdays, a strategic day for the retail sector. “Maintaining them on Saturday is dramatic,” she said on LCI.
She estimated that cash flow and revenue are between 60 and 90 percent below a typical Saturday.
Some shops were directly hit by looting, while others have also been affected by the series of demonstrations. Brunet-Ruinart said a sharp rise in business failures is expected in 2027, and that the commercial vacancy rate could increase significantly because some retailers will be unable to keep paying their charges.
“Saturday is the most important day, and they cannot work. Consumers are wary and are not coming,” she said.
The state has exceptionally authorized Sunday openings for stores in 11 Parisian arrondissements, a day that must be paid at double rate.
