“The first in the world”. Chinese giant Shein defies criticism and opens physical store in fashion capital

Asian e-commerce giant Shein will inaugurate its first brick-and-mortar store next week in a famous shopping mall in central Paris, the company's owners confirmed on Friday, according to The Brussels Times.

The 1,000 square meter space, located on the sixth floor of the iconic Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville, an iconic building located opposite Paris City Hall, will open to its first customers on Wednesday, marking the Chinese brand's first permanent store.

“BHV SHEIN, opening on November 5 at 1 p.m.,” announced Frédéric Merlin, director of Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), owner of the BHV department store chain, calling it “a world first.”

Shein, founded in China in 2012 and now based in Singapore, has until now operated exclusively online, selling €12 dresses and €20 jeans.

The Chinese giant's partnership with the president of Société des Grands Magasins has sparked criticism and backlash. The plan to open Shein's first brick-and-mortar store went ahead despite opposition from the French government, Paris City Hall, BHV unions and more than 110,000 people who signed an online petition condemning the association with the online retailer.

Critics accuse Shein of promoting unsustainable “ultra-fast fashion” and exploiting workers in its supply chain.

Shein and SGM also plan to open five more stores in France at the end of November, within stores owned by Galeries Lafayette in Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges.

Shein has faced an increasingly fierce investigation in France, where it was fined €191m this year for misleading advertising, breaching cookie rules and failing to declare the use of plastic microfibres in its products.

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