Alexandre Bompard, the CEO of Carrefour, has condemned the destruction of stores amid protests that swept across France recently.
On Sunday, Bompard, who is also president of the French Federation of Commerce and Distribution, reported that approximately 1,500 retail locations were directly impacted by the violence associated with the previous day’s demonstrations, as noted by AFP.
“It is still a bit early” to assess the full extent of the damages, he remarked during an interview on LCI, yet he stressed that the costs would be “very significant.”
He described the losses as a “very large direct financial loss,” estimating them to be “several hundred million euros.”
Additionally, Bompard indicated that around 50 Carrefour stores had been affected, including both hypermarkets and supermarkets, with approximately 20 of those having been looted.
Impact on Carrefour Network
The costs, according to the Carrefour head, “will amount to several tens of millions of euros for all our partners.”
The French Chamber of Commerce and Industry highlighted on Sunday that the violent acts have impacted businesses already weakened by successive crises, rising costs, and declining foot traffic in city centers.
“For many of them, this destruction could be the last straw,” the organization warned in a statement.
Destruction and looting in several major urban centers primarily affected stores located in city centers and along key commercial routes, AFP reported.
Over half a million people protested across France on Saturday, according to authorities, in response to the rising cost of living and issues in schools.
The marches were followed by violent clashes between law enforcement and groups of demonstrators. By Sunday afternoon, more than 1,800 arrests had been made nationwide, and over 500 police officers, gendarmes, and firefighters were injured during the unrest.
