As thousands of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd by a Minnesota police officer moved westward in Los Angeles, luxury retail started to board up in fear of riots and looting.
The entirety of famed luxury shopping strip Rodeo Drive was blocked to traffic by early afternoon on Saturday, as protestors were still miles to the east. The Beverly Center, a mall in West Hollywood that houses a number of luxury brands, also decided to close entirely on Saturday, a representative confirmed. The center had just reopened on Friday, after L.A. officials suddenly announced earlier in the week that in-store shopping could resume after months of being prohibited due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Gucci’s just reopened store on Rodeo Dr. was quickly boarded up on Saturday in fear of protests.
Kali Hays/WWD
On Rodeo, the likes of Gucci, Prada, Dior, Rolex, and Louis Vuitton were being hurriedly boarded up by workmen as of midday on Saturday. A number of the stores had slowly started to reopen since Wednesday, allowing shoppers inside and refreshing merchandise displays. On Saturday, the same stores were again locked and emptied of all merchandise as police stood at traffic barricades.
In Beverly Hills and the Downtown area of L.A., an
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