Apple Closes Paris Stores as Retailers Ready for Weekend Protests

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Apple will close all three stores in Paris on Saturday as retailers in the French capital prepare for another day of protests. As retailers packed the windows and emptied the shelves, the technology company said its stores on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the Opéra and the Marché Saint-Germain will remain closed on Saturday, reopening Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Four other Apple stores in France will be closed today, while shopping malls across the region are expected to remain open. Art Basel Paris, which was scheduled to operate until Sunday at the Grand Palais, announced it would close the 2026 edition at 7pm on Friday, citing security concerns. The Fondation Cartier will be closed all weekend, and the Fondation Louis Vuitton will also be closed on Saturday, as will several major museums including the Louvre and Musée d' Orsay.

Instead, officials authorized a protest from the Bastille to the Nation, through residential neighborhoods with small businesses, directing the march away from the city center. Such disruptions occur as small shops in the affected neighbourhoods continue to face the effects of the previous weekend's damage near the Republic area. As another difficult Saturday approaches, the shock is replaced by the worry: Should we relive this? If the curtains were lowered, the fences barricaded, the teams would be sent home as a precaution, said Judith Jiguet, director general of the Federation of Trade and Retail in a WWD statement. No one can work quietly under this threat. Everyone's priority is that this doesn't happen again. It added that authorities should provide real-time alerts to warn traders about the safety situation, especially in the event of violence, as well as information about the movement of the demonstration as it happens.

Journalists are part of it

Journalists are part of it. They must be able to rely on public authorities to support and guarantee their safety, she added, on Saturday as well as in the coming weeks. Along Valmy Bay, closed shops have signs explaining that businesses remain closed with goods taken from some locations and banknotes tied to closed doors in an effort to discourage potential robbers. The independent fashion brand Make My Lemonade was among those robbed last weekend. An ad on the broken windows said the company doesn't know yet when it will reopen or what the financial consequences of the closure will be. The brand thanked customers for hundreds of support messages and encouraged them to shop through the online store.

France will deploy over 70,000 police and gendarmes nationwide on Saturday, including elite anti-terrorist units, as the government tries to prevent a repeat of last weekend's riots and robberies that overcame peaceful protests. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez stated that the authorities will also use water cannons, armoured vehicles, helicopters and drones as necessary. We will be uncompromising with rebels, robbers and all those who commit violence, he said. The police prefecture asked merchants to strengthen security, check surveillance and alarm systems, protect stores and consider adjusting opening hours or hiring private security. Twenty-eight metro stations will be closed from 9:00 am on Saturday, including Concorde, Châtelet and République, in an effort to reduce access to the central business districts.