“Behind every ransacked shop, there is a person”: the very heavy bill of October 17 for these traders who “can’t take it anymore”

In Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille and Grenoble but also in Toulouse, Lille, Nice and Montpellier… None of the major French cities was spared by the ransacking and looting that occurred on the sidelines of the mobilizations against the high cost of living, this Saturday, October 17. A systemic violence which targeted without sparing any establishment or any brand, both large-scale distribution and smaller businesses, banks and luxury boutiques, hotels and restaurants. To the point that the bill promises to be particularly hefty: and although it is still far too early to precisely assess the cost of the damage, the fact remains that France's image has been particularly deteriorated.

“Disarray, sadness and anger…” This is what Alexandre Bompard, the CEO of the Carrefour group, feels the day after the ransacking of “more than 1,500 businesses in France” on Saturday. The one who is also the president of the Federation of Commerce and Distribution estimated the bill “at several hundred million…