It has been subject to administrative sanctions and judicial review following the backlash in France over the online sale of “sex toys” made to look like children. In fact, the finance minister of the country threatened the company that if it does not withdraw the products in question, it will proceed with a ban on the Chinese online store.
The company said it imposed “severe sanctions” on traders and strengthened controls, as it said it would disclose the details of the buyers of the specific products to the French judicial authorities. At the same time, he declared that he would also put restrictions on doll sellers. “While each seller is responsible for their own listings, Shein does not tolerate any violation of its internal rules and policies,” the company’s statement said.
However, as of Monday Shein is under investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office and will face questions from a National Assembly fact-finding committee.
Shein “enters” the French market
In the midst of all these issues that have arisen, the company proceeded today, Wednesday, November 5, with the opening of its first physical store in Paris.
Indicative of the highly controversial nature of these inaugurations at 1 p.m. on the 6th floor of the BHV department store, police forces were present around the store as early as Tuesday night, with the Paris Police Directorate monitoring the event with “special attention”. The arrival of the platform, which was founded in China in 2012 and is now based in Singapore, highlights the tensions surrounding the regulation of e-commerce and “fast-fachion”, also known as “fast fashion”.
Targeted by a proposed law against “fast fashion”, the company has already been fined three times this year in France, totaling 191 million euros, for breaching cookie regulations, false advertising, misleading information and hiding details about its use of microfibre plastics.
However, since the announcement of its imminent arrival in early October, the government, Paris mayor’s office, elected officials, associations and players in the French clothing industry have condemned the company’s appearance in France. This was even before the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention (DGCCRF) on Saturday exposed the sale of baby girl dolls as “sex toys”.
Physical stores are a problem in France
On the 6th floor of the BHV department store in France is the meeting point for Shein customers at noon to discover a 1,200 sq.m. Frédéric Merlan, the head of Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), Shein’s partner in France and owner of BHV since 2023, assured customers that the products sold in the store do not come from Shein’s online platform and that they meet European standards.
Even before Shein’s arrival at BHV, several French brands left the department store, denouncing a partnership that ran counter to their values and interests. Labor unions are also opposed.
Of course, of utmost importance is how consumers will react to these stores. In fact, to attract them and try to quell the resentment of other partner brands, with purchases made today at the Shein store customers will get a voucher of the same value that can be used elsewhere at BHV.
The brand, which claims 25 million customers in France, compared to other retail companies, according to a study.
Five more Shein stores will soon open in Dijon, Grenoble, Limoges, Angers and Rennes. The department stores that will host them will no longer be Galeries Lafayette but BHV, as the Galeries Lafayette group ended its contract with SGM to avoid its association with Shein.
The clothing industry and small businesses are particularly affected by the influx of products made in Asia, mainly China. In 2024, 4.6 billion parcels worth less than €150 were imported into the EU. The number of these duty-free parcels doubles every two years at the current rate.
