Any business operating in France needs to comply with the labour laws stating that the business needs to have a valid economic activity or provide social service if their employees were to work between 9PM and 6AM which are considered after hours. But several Apple stores in France including l’Opéra in Paris, Parly 2 in Le Chesnay, Carré Sénart in Lieusaint, Val d’Europe in Marne-la-Vallee, Cape Town 3000 in Nice, and Atlantis in Saint Herblain seems to have flouted the law with their working staying back as late as 11:00 PM for in-store cleanup and preparation for the next day after the store closes at 9:00 PM.
After CFTC (labour union) filed a case against Apple saying that Apple is not respecting the law, a Paris court fined Apple for a sum of €10000 in damages to be paid to the union and said that Apple will have to shell out an additional €50000 for every subsequent instance of breaking the law again. The French labour laws allows any business to get work from their employees only till 9:00 PM everyday.
Apple store are claimed to earn the highest revenue per square feet making huge amounts of money for Apple. With the exceptional customer service and standards it is important to maintain every minor thing in the stores as per Apple’s standards. But nevertheless, they are required to comply with the local laws as well!