The French government said it would temporarily suspend the Chinese e-commerce giant Shein, just hours after it opened its first store in Paris, following complaints over sales of childlike sex dolls and weapons on its platform.
The suspension was prompted by a report to the prosecutor’s office related to Shein’s sales of weapons including machetes and brass knuckles, Serge Papin, junior minister for small businesses, said before the National Assembly.
“We won’t let them get away with it. After childlike sex dolls, it’s now weapons that are being sold on Shein,” he said in the Senate. “If a platform wants to sell in France, it must respect our rules, it must respect our standards. It must respect our values, we have to say ‘No’ to this digital Wild West, because it’s become systemic, it’s a model.”
Shein’s efforts to expand its presence in France have been dogged by controversy. The childlike sex dolls it had been selling on its platform created an uproar last week among consumer groups and politicians. Also, its new store, a global first, opened in central Paris to French howls against its brash entry into the heart of the world’s fashion capital.
The suspension process, requested by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, would remain in place until Shein can show proof of compliance to French laws and rules, according to an email from the finance ministry.
Shein said in a statement that it would suspend Marketplace sales in France, referring to third-party vendors on its platform, and that it hoped to hold discussions on consumer protection with French authorities soon.
“We’re going to be very vigilant,” said Papin. An initial status report on the potential suspension is expected in the next 48 hours, he told lawmakers in the National Assembly.
The suspension procedure came as Shein opened its outlet on a top floor of the historic BHV Marais department store, just steps from the Notre-Dame cathedral and across the street from Paris’ City Hall, whose officials have decried the threat to local businesses from the price-driven fast-fashion retailer’s presence.
“We see this as a provocation,” Patrick Bloche, first deputy to Mayor Anne Hidalgo, told reporters Tuesday evening, as a massive poster of BHV chief Frederic Merlin and Shein executive chairman Donald Tang loomed over him from the walls of the department store.
Politicians and retailers in France have largely lined up against the company, arguing that its drive to deliver cheap goods will hurt small businesses and harm the environment.
About a dozen brands exited the BHV department store in recent weeks, citing both its partnership with Shein and other issues. On Tuesday, Galaries Lafayette ended its name agreement with BHV Marais owner Societe des Grands Magasins, citing disagreements over strategy.
SGM, founded by Merlin and his sister Maryline Merlin, operated several stores outside Paris under the Galeries Lafayette brand. Those will now be brought under the BHV name and open Shein outposts in the coming weeks.
The furore didn’t seem to faze the hundreds of people who lined up midday for the store opening. Emma Joulie, a Parisian, said she had never ordered anything from Shein but wanted to see the products for herself. Backlash around the platform’s fast-fashion strategy was unwarranted, she added.
“People need to stop with the hypocrisy,” Joulie said. “When you go to Zara, the tag says it’s made in China.”
By Jenny Che
Inside Shein’s Fast-Fashion Fight in France
The online fashion giant is facing strong opposition in France from lawmakers, retailers and regulators who criticise its low-cost model and alleged unfair advantages.
