We were attacked in the parking lot at Molinard. My purse was stolen along with my camera, cash, credit cards and passport. Molinard appears to be a safe place to visit. It’s not. For show they have drop down gates and a guard box neither is attended. A young man approaches – steals your bag and sprays you with chemicals if you don’t release your purse. The Grasse police confirmed there have been numerous such attacks at Molinard. I’ve contacted the owner of Molinard - Mr. Lerouge-Benard but he hasn’t bothered to respond to any of my messages. The other parfum manufacturers have the same problem and have not taken steps to protect the safety of their customer. These attacks happen so frequently that it must be shared with anyone considering a visit to this town. Therefore, the only prudent action is to stop visiting these companies or purchasing their products. We have visited Molinard for almost 30 years and are saddened by the lack of caring demonstrated by Mr. Lerouge-Benard as the owner of Molinard.
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What a shame,, I hope you had your big money and credit cards in your money belt!!
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what a shame that this happened to you in September when you were on holiday. i hope you managed to get some insurance paymenst for the loats items and that your holiday wasn%26#39;t comletely ruined.
i am interested in knowing what are you expecting the perfume company to do though. are you accusing the %26#39;guard%26#39; or another employee of being the robber or in cahoots?
is the %26#39;guard box%26#39; and %26#39;drop down gate system%26#39; not just to regulate the car parking rather than to act as a trap or security barrier?
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did you tell the folk in the perfumerie when the robbery occurred? did they assist you in contacting the police?
unfortunately robberies happens everywhere, even i%26#39;m sure, in california.
Places like molinard, where tourists with plenty of cash congregate, are probably an ideal target for a thief. and i guess that having perfumery carrier bags would mark people as tourists as well
when we lived in manchester uk ,13 years ago, a downmarket supermarket chain that only accepted cash was a robbery hotspot as the thieves knew there were easy targets to be had.
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A sorry tale, sympathies, and a useful reminder to travellers that not just Grasse but the Riviera in general is something of a magnet to criminal enterprise. Having been pickpocketed here and had an attempted break in, I believe there is a constant need for vigilance and precaution.
From regularly following local newspapers, what happened to you is relatively rare. Small consolation but physical assault is rare. The poster who recommended undergarment money-belts is spot on. Its the best protection of valuables against casual theft.
This also confirms my personal dislike of Grasse - its seedy and the least attractive of the Riviera towns.
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btw i have not heard of this happening in grasse on other occasions
theft from cars , occasional bag snatch - yes but not robbery with this MO i%26#39;ve only seen reported once from cannes and not connected specially with perfumeries.
i don%26#39;t think there is constant need for vigilance and precaution beyond normal here - ie keep to well lit streets if walking alone at night, don%26#39;t get drunk , pay attention to your surroundings , don%26#39;t flash cash, never leave valuables in a car even the boot etc
Nice is a lot safer than many other places and since there is no culture of drunks or groups of teenagers looking for a fight so there is much less likely to be casual assault or aggression , burglaries are way down the list of crimes in comparison with the uk and insurance rates are consequently vastly cheaper.
Having said that tourists do stand out more than locals and have more risks ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD because they might not know where they are going and look lost, they often flash cash, their apartments are unoccupied for large parts of the years or occupied by a succession of folk , their cars are often visibly marked hire cars [by number plate or stickers] , they dress differently, their accents and voices stand out and many of them have no volume control when they speak.
Additionally visiting tourist traps is also a big give-away
i would advise folk concerned about the very low level of crime in Nice not to visit Naples in Italy or practically anywhere in the UK
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My neighbours in London had their front door kicked in and were burgled last week.
Some years back other friends in London had a break in and all their beautifully wrapped Christmas presents stolen from under the tree - perhaps that is how burglars do their %26quot;Christmas shopping%26quot; - they like suprise gifts ready wrapped.
So on a personal level, I rate that, on balance, I have been safer in Nice than London.
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Unfortunately not. We%26#39;d been traveling for three weeks and felt very much at ease and at home. We were basking in our wonderful experiences and let down our guard. A nasty sting on the last day of the trip. We had to cancel all the cards, drive to Marseilles to replace the passport - the Consulate stayed open late. I was rushing through the streets trying to find a shop to take the photos. We lost our hotel room for the night in Nice and were driving around from place to place to find a room for a few hours sleep before our early flight in the morning. That day was just lost - spending hours on the road and at the police station!
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Thanks for your kind words. It’s nice to hear so many people reply. No, the insurance doesn’t cover the cost of the loss. The company should at least reply to my messages and open a dialog don’t you agree? Especially in light of the fact that this isn’t the first time it’s happened. The gates are to restrict assess to the parking but what about the guard box? It serves no purpose without a security person to man it. We went into Molinard as soon as the police had taken their report. No Molinard staff didn’t help contact the police it was other Molinard clients, local French citizens, who loaned us their cell phone to reach the police and file the report. They were equally as upset stating “It could just as easily have been us, for we too are tourists here!” The court documents show that several of the victims were indeed French citizens. When we spoke to the Molinard staff we were told ‘this has never happened before’ which we later learned what absolutely not true. When they gave me the owner of Molinard’s name, Mr. Mr. Lerouge-Benard’s, his staff indicated that he would want to discuss this with me. Again, not true.
Yes, robberies happen every where. I just wish I’d remembered the article I’d read the previous evening stating that Grasse/Nice had the highest incidents of robberies in France. France is a large and beautiful country. The time we enjoyed in much of it won’t be forgotten. That includes when we make plans for our next return visit.
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You’re right about being careful. Especially in this area. I don’t know how many incidents would constitute ‘rare’ but this one boy has numerous such thefts on his record. We were one of the lucky ones’ as he didn’t use the chemical spray he’d used on others.
I’d agree with you concerning Grasse. Certainly we prefer to stay in a village and Grasse is really a small city. We never stay there, just stop by Molinard and then move on. I will say, in Grasse’s defense, that the criminal was from Nice and the police were very, very kind.
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Actually it’s quite common. I’d read about the high crime rate in Grasse the previous evening in one of the local newspapers. Just wish I’d thought of it on that warm, lovely day as we enjoyed the last day of our trip. This boy, the thief, was from Nice. He was so skilled it’s obvious that he’s been trained. This isn’t some young men out of control. It’s a clearly a business. We were fortunate that he didn’t use the chemical spray on us. He is a professional. This boy is responsible for having committed several such robberies. Many of them at the parfum shops in Grasse so there are numerous people who have been hurt this way. That’s why I can’t see how the owners don’t feel responsible in part or have taken any steps to protect their clients. Don’t you find that callous? Especially in light of the fact that not only Americans, or outsiders, are hurt. Several of his victims where local French citizens… acting like ‘tourists’ in their own country. Sad to say some of them were hurt with the chemical spray. Just keep this in mind when you want to spend your travel dollars. Do you want to relax and have a good time? Or do you want to act like you’re in a place where anything can happen – keep your eyes open and your focus on what may go wrong? I know for us, that isn’t how we want to spend our time or money.
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Hi,
I know Grasse but havent seen Molinard but was sorry to read your news...also that you never got a reply after writing. I hope you have gotten over your ordeal now.
Best wishes.
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