Shein opens first French stores, sparking backlash over low prices and labor concerns.

Shein is opening its first permanent French stores, launching a concession in Paris’s BHV department store and planning five more in Galeries Lafayette locations, sparking opposition from French lawmakers, retailers, and regulators. Critics argue Shein’s low prices, boosted by a customs duty exemption on small packages, harm local businesses and contribute to the collapse of French fashion chains. The company defends its on-demand production as sustainable and efficient, while facing scrutiny over past issues including misleading advertising, data privacy violations, and the sale of child-like sex dolls, which led to a 190 million euro fine. France is advancing a new fast-fashion law that could ban Shein’s advertising and impose per-item penalties, though it remains under revision to align with EU rules.