Shopkeepers from 40 federations in Côte d’Azur have urged the government for assistance in dealing with security concerns to address the growing problems of theft and smuggling impacting their businesses. The appeal was made after shop owners noticed cigarette packets being sold at lower prices outside their stores. Cecile and her husband have been working in a small shop for four years. Recently, they were robbed twice by armed youths. Cecile recounted, “When we started closing the shutters, people came in with rifles and tied up my husband. They forced me to open the cash register and take out the money. It all happened very quickly.” The incident occurred on November 16, 2024, and since then, Cecile has been feeling fear every night.
The shopkeepers claim they carry weapons behind their counters as they face not only theft but also the sale of smuggled cigarettes. One shopkeeper mentioned, “I found some illegal packets in my shop this morning that were placed here without my knowledge.” Local shopkeepers revealed that some individuals are selling illegal cigarettes for 4.80 euros, significantly lower than the legal price of 13 euros, causing their businesses to suffer a 30% loss. According to official figures, 40% of cigarettes in the French market are coming from the illegal market today, up from 23% in 2019. The shopkeepers have requested immediate national action from the government to combat cigarette smuggling, which costs the state treasury billions of euros annually. According to the Côte d’Azur Federation, 33 shops have closed down from 2017 to date, with 10 shutting down in 2024 alone.
