An Unwelcome Rest

What does it take to be able to do business on a Sunday? Ask Louis Vuitton. The luxury retailer's revamped flagship store on the Champs Elysées has been attracting thousands of visitors every day since it reopened last October. But last week, a Paris tribunal [an error occurred while processing this directive] ruled that the luxury-goods firm has been breaking the law by opening its huge, 1,800-sq-m emporium on Sundays, one of its most heavily trafficked days.

Although much Sunday trading is banned in France, Louis Vuitton had received an exemption from the Paris prefect by arguing that the store was a cultural landmark, not just a commercial one. But the tribunal upheld a complaint brought by a national federation representing small clothing retailers and a French Christian labor union. The federation took issue with what it sees as unfair competition, while the CFTC union — which doesn't represent any workers at the Louis Vuitton store — insists that Sunday should be a day of rest. "The little luggage store on the Champs Elysées is not above the law," crowed a sarcastic CFTC press release.

Yves Carcelle, Louis Vuitton's president, slammed the decision as "an unacceptable, Malthusian interpretation of the law," and said it puts 70 jobs at risk; the firm plans to appeal. The ruling highlights the variety of highly restrictive regulations on France's statute books that govern shopping, including criminal penalties for promotional sales below cost. There are also gaping contradictions: while Sunday trading as a rule is outlawed, cinemas, restaurants, cafés and fast-food chains are allowed to open. In today's Paris, it's one thing to eat a burger and quite another to indulge in a diet of luxury.