Armed robbers hit De Beers store near Place Vendôme in Paris, fleeing with hundreds of thousands of euros in jewels

A jewellery store near Place Vendôme in Paris was robbed on the morning of November 12, when four armed robbers stole hundreds of thousands of euros worth of goods in minutes and fled on motorcycles. No one was seriously hurt.

Police said the robbery took place at around 11:15 a.m. at the De Beers store on Rue de la Paix in the 2nd arrondissement, near Place Vendôme, a hub of luxury jewellers. A De Beers Group spokesperson confirmed the robbery to The Associated Press, saying there were no serious injuries, that the company was providing well-being support to staff and that the store would remain closed to allow investigations.

Four robbers with assault-style rifles; weapons shown, not fired

Fabien Bogais, a representative of the Alliance police union in Paris, told reporters at the scene that four suspects arrived carrying assault-style rifles and stole hundreds of thousands of euros worth of goods within minutes. The robbers wore helmets; Bogais said he could not say whether they had covered their faces. Police said the robbers displayed their weapons but did not use them. Authorities said substantial resources were being deployed to track down those responsible and that officers would examine the scene.

Follows last year's Louvre crown jewels theft

The robbery follows the October 2025 theft of crown jewels valued at 88 million euros from the Louvre in a daylight raid that exposed gaps in the museum's security. The Place Vendôme area has long been the heart of Paris's luxury jewellery trade.

(File photo: a jewellery house in the Place Vendôme area, not the scene of the robbery. Image: Sortiraparis)