Sephora’s Paris Hours Break the Law

According to a French court, Sephora and its customers who browse the Parisian store on the Champs-Elysées late into the night are breaking the country’s labor laws.

The court ruled earlier this week that the store must close no later than 9 p.m., because of a law that bans late-night working hours at most businesses. Sephora (a division of Paris-based LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA), said it will comply with the ruling and submit an appeal.

Unions had complained that Sephora was violating the law by keeping the store open until midnight on weekdays and 1 a.m. on weekends. Nearly 60 of the store’s 200 employees volunteer to work nights in exchange for extra pay and attended a court hearing to support the company’s position.

“We’ve been stabbed” by the unions, said one Sephora saleswoman. “The employees have been blackmailed into opposing the unions,” said a union representative.

Sephora closes its other Paris stores by 9 p.m. but keeps the Champs-Elysées outlet open later because it’s in what the company called an “exceptional tourist zone.” The store reportedly draws 6 million visitors a year and rings up 20 percent of its sales after 9.