The online retailer Shein has opened its first permanent store inside the historic BHV Marais — right in the heart of Paris, across from City Hall.
🇫🇷 Fashion meets morality: As soon as Shein’s banners went up, backlash followed. Paris City Hall called the move “a slap in the face for local merchants.” More than 20 brands pulled their products from the department store, and even Disneyland canceled its planned Christmas exhibit.
💥 Sex doll scandal before opening: French consumer authorities discovered childlike sex dolls being sold on Shein’s platform — “clearly pornographic in nature,” according to officials.
Reaction: France’s Economy Minister Roland Lescure immediately threatened to ban Shein from operating in France. The company quickly deleted the items and announced a “total ban” on sex-doll products.
🧵 Fast, cheap, and controversial: Shein sells over 600,000 products online and benefits from customs exemptions for small parcels. French brands like Jennyfer and Naf Naf couldn’t compete and shut down. Critics accuse Shein of “industrial destruction of retail.”
📈 Shein’s counteroffensive: The company is now trying to rebrand itself as a supporter of the French economy, the new stores are expected to create 200 jobs. Former Interior Minister Christophe Castaner is advising the firm.
CEO Donald Tang is touring talk shows and dinners — complete with his dog “Satchi” in PR photos.
🇨🇳 What do the Chinese say?
Usually, Chinese netizens respond patriotically when domestic companies face criticism abroad. But not this time.
A typical comment reads:
“Just shut them down. Problem solved.”
Background
Founded in Nanjing in 2012, Shein is now one of the world’s largest online retailers. Officially based in Singapore, the company still runs much of its operations from China.
In 2024, Shein’s revenue reached around 45 billion USD.
A new French law could hit the company hard: any retailer listing more than 1,000 new items per day will be banned from advertising and required to pay fees per item sold.
Sources: NYT, The Guardian, Business Times
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