(NewsNation) — Shein, an online fast-fashion retailer, plans to open its first brick-and-mortar store in France next month, drawing sharp criticism from French retailers and fashion groups.
Under a deal with department store operators Société des Grands Magasins, the company plans to open a store inside Paris’s BHV department store and expand to Galeries Lafayette locations in five other cities. The move marks a major shift for Shein, which has relied on temporary pop-up shops to promote its low-cost clothing.
SGM President Frédéric Merlin said the partnership would help attract younger shoppers, suggesting that customers might buy both a Shein item and a designer handbag in a single visit.
However, Galeries Lafayette, which sold the stores operated by SGM under its name through a franchise agreement, said it “profoundly disagrees” with the plan, arguing that Shein’s business model and practices contradict “its offer and values.” The group said it will take steps to block the opening, which it says violates the franchise agreement.
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Shein is already under pressure in France, where lawmakers are advancing legislation to regulate fast fashion and potentially ban the company from advertising. Critics accuse the brand of undercutting local retailers and flooding the market with cheaply made, disposable clothing.
“In front of the Paris City Hall, they are creating the new Shein megastore, which – after destroying dozens of French brands – aims to flood our market even more massively with disposable products,” Yann Rivoallan, head of fashion retail association Fédération Francaise du Pret-a-Porter, said in a statement.
Shein told the BBC that France’s “influential global fashion market” made it a “natural choice” for its first physical store. The company has also faced criticism for its environmental impact and labor practices.
The move to brick-and-mortar marks a large departure from Shein’s online-only model, which has helped it minimize unsold inventory and benefit from customs exemptions on low-value e-commerce shipments. Those advantages are shrinking: The U.S. is ending its “de minimis” duty exemption, and the EU is preparing to follow suit.
