Thieves on Wednesday smashed a car into the doors of a French Louis Vuitton store for the second time this year to steal designer handbags and other valuables, police said.

The luxury shop in the centre of Lille in northeast France had been targeted already in January when a gang made off with most of the goods inside.

Wednesday's theft happened at dawn, with the thieves avoiding bollards placed on the pavement in front of the prestigious Art Deco building to prevent a repeat of January's smash-and-grab operation.

The car "crashed into the facade," a police source told AFP, without commenting on the value of the losses for the company, owned by France's wealthiest man, Bernard Arnault.

The mayor of Lille, Martine Aubry, told AFP the city would build new obstacles in front of the premises to protect it, while management were also considering installing a barrier inside the building.

The incident was first reported by the local Voix du Nord newspaper.