Apple has closed seven of its French retail stores ahead of what MacRumors describes as another round of demonstrations, according to the publication's report on Saturday.
The closed locations are all three Paris stores (Champs-Élysées, Opéra and Marché Saint-Germain), plus Bordeaux Sainte-Catherine, Lille, Strasbourg and Aix-en-Provence. MacRumors says French outlet MacGeneration was the first to spot the closures, and Apple's own store pages list the affected locations as closed on Saturday.
What the store pages show
Apple's website lists reduced hours for Sunday rather than a full shutdown at most sites. The three Paris stores, Bordeaux Sainte-Catherine and Aix-en-Provence are shown as open from noon to 6 p.m. Lille and Strasbourg remain closed on Sunday and are listed to reopen on Monday, MacRumors reports.
Why Apple closed them
Apple has not been quoted giving a reason in the report. MacRumors characterizes the closures as likely a precaution to protect employees and stores, which is the publication's own inference. It points out that the seven closed stores have entrances directly onto the street, while stores inside shopping malls are expected to operate as normal.
The closures follow looting on October 17 that targeted Apple's Lille and Bordeaux stores. MacRumors says both were among many businesses hit across France that day. The Associated Press has reported that the demonstrations relate to rising living costs and poor conditions in schools, and that hundreds of thousands of people protested peacefully on October 17 even as violence and looting broke out in several cities.
Stolen iPhones
MacRumors also notes reports that some stolen iPhones are displaying messages saying they have been disabled and are being tracked, with instructions to return them to the store they came from. A video shared on X by Le Signal reportedly shows such a message. MacRumors says it has not verified the video, and neither has Cupertino News.
Timing
The closures land in the middle of the iPhone Duo launch weekend, though neither MacRumors nor Apple has linked the two. Customers in France planning a visit are best advised to check the opening hours on the page for their local store.
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