Shein boutiques will open in four regional BHV department stores in France on Wednesday. The expansion, which was originally announced for the end of 2025, comes four months after the much-criticised opening of the brand’s first permanent shop in the Paris department store BHV Marais.
The openings in Limoges, Angers, Dijon, Grenoble and Reims are the result of a partnership. This was announced last October by the BHV operator, the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), co-founded by Frédéric Merlin, and the ultra-fast fashion giant Shein. The collaboration remains controversial as the Asian company is regularly accused of unfair competition and environmental pollution.
Revised business model after criticism
In mid-November, Frédéric Merlin had to announce the postponement of the regional openings. The company found itself in a media storm at the time after illegal products were discovered on the platform. This included weapons and items containing child pornography sold by third parties.
At the time, the managing director spoke of the need to adjust the offer and pricing policy in order not to “frustrate” customers. This happened just ten days after the Paris space opened. According to a joint statement, the opening of these new areas, which are between 500 and 1,000 square meters in size, will now take place “gradually”.
In the short term, the offer will remain mainly winter. “From the beginning of April there will be more seasonal items and products that correspond to local preferences,” Quentin Ruffat, Shein’s spokesman in France, told AFP. In this new structure, Shein now takes over the management of orders, while SGM receives a sales commission. Frédéric Merlin also warned: “If the experiment doesn’t work in a year, we will end it.”
A popular success marked by controversy
In Paris, the experiment is still not convincing despite 5,000 visitors per day. The customers mainly complained about higher prices than online. Shein is trying to dispel this impression with the promise of a “larger selection” and special sales campaigns in the regions. The company is relying on this expansion because 95 percent of its French customers live outside metropolises such as Paris, Lyon or Marseille.
However, the brand’s arrival in historic locations is causing great resistance. In Dijon and Grenoble, the mayors have expressed their strong opposition. The conflict even led the department store group Galeries Lafayette to terminate its contract with SGM for seven regional department stores. She refused to associate Shein’s image with her own.
Growing legal and political pressure
The social climate remains tense. In Paris, around a hundred luxury and cosmetics brands have already left the BHV Marais to protest against this partnership. “We will not win back our customers as long as Shein is there,” worries the union representative of the Paris department store.
In addition to the image, the legal framework also threatens the company. Last week, the European Union opened an investigation into Shein over alleged safety violations. In France, the pressure is enormous because the state is demanding that Shein’s online marketplace be blocked. The French judiciary will announce its decision on March 19th. This date could abruptly end the physical expansion strategy.
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