Unions call for a strike

The unions at the French department store BHV have called for a strike on Friday. They are protesting against the cooperation with Shein, the reduction of jobs and criticizing the management of the Société des Grands Magasins.

The employees of the BHV department store have been called on strike on Friday. With this they particularly want to protest against the introduction of the Chinese fast fashion brand Shein in the Paris department store. All trade unions in France announced this on Thursday.

The work stoppage, planned for 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., will be accompanied by a rally and a press conference, the union federation of CFDT, CFTC, CFE-CGC, CGT and SUD Solidaires said in a statement. Shein’s permanent settlement on the sixth floor of the Paris department store, planned for November, “threatens the short-term survival of the department store, which is already in serious difficulties,” warns the union federation.

In her opinion, the situation has “permanently deteriorated” since the sale of the BHV department store by Galeries Lafayette to the real estate company Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), co-founded by 30-year-old Frédéric Merlin in 2021, in 2023. “More than 300 direct jobs have been cut, suppliers are no longer paid and are withdrawing from the BHV,” complain the unions and also point to “defects in maintenance.”

Numerous brands (Slip Français, Maison Lejaby, etc.) have withdrawn due to payment delays described by the SGM as temporary, citing the introduction of a new automated accounting system. The recently announced partnership with Shein, a Chinese e-commerce giant accused of environmental pollution and substandard working conditions, has since led other French companies (Aime, Culture Vintage, Talm…) to break off their collaboration with BHV.

And on Wednesday, Banque des Territoires, a subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), withdrew from negotiations begun in June with SGM to help it buy the BHV buildings, citing a “breach of trust.”

“This is absolutely not in line with our values”

“Suddenly we learned that the SGM would be Shein’s Trojan horse in France,” CDC Director General Olivier Sichel said on Thursday at a meeting organized by the Association des Journalistes Économiques et Financiers (Ajef). “This is absolutely not in line with our values” regarding “social and regional cohesion” and “ecological change,” Sichel added about this “deal” that was reported in the press.

For its part, the SGM assured that it has “other partners who have confirmed its commitment”. According to the trade union association, the employees had “refused to bear the consequences of irresponsible corporate management”, although SGM had previously made the continuation of BHV’s business activities “dependent on the success of the takeover” of the properties.

In addition to the “immediate termination of the partnership with Shein”, it calls for the cessation of the “hidden job cuts”, the “immediate settlement” of claims against suppliers, the “start of negotiations” on a “viable business strategy” and “the intervention of the authorities to examine the management of SGM”.

Shein will also have a foothold in five other branches in the province under the name Galeries Lafayette, but under the management of SGM. On Tuesday, the union federation of these stores (CFDT, FO, CFE-CGC) rejected the project that the Galeries Lafayette group has promised to prevent. The SGM did not initially respond to AFP’s request on Thursday.