Paris court rejects call to suspend Shein’s online platform

The e-commerce giant, whose model of high-volume, ultra-cheap fashion has upended traditional retailing, looks like it’s in France to stay, despite the chorus of protests

Shein’s choice of Paris for its first physical store set off a furore among French retailers and politicians fretting over the potential damage to local businesses from the fast-fashion retailer.

Yet almost two months after the doors opened, efforts to resist Shein in France are falling flat. A Paris court on Friday rejected a government call to temporarily suspend its online platform over sales of certain items, describing a ban as disproportionate.

The e-commerce giant, whose model of high-volume, ultra-cheap fashion has upended traditional retailing, looks like it’s in France to stay, despite the chorus of protests from across the political spectrum that greeted the store’s opening.

As long as its products are welcomed by consumers, Shein will eventually prevail, said Sai Lan, an associate professor for innovation and entrepreneurship at Em Lyon Business School’s Shanghai campus.

Founded in China and now based in Singapore, Shein has become an online juggernaut. Its decision to open a bricks-and-mortar outlet in the city where Coco Chanel and Christian Dior rose to fame appears aimed at winning a measure of legitimacy.

In announcing Shein’s arrival in Paris, executive chairman Donald Tang said the group was honouring its position as a key fashion capital and embracing its spirit of creativity and excellence.

Paris is a showcase for them, said Olivier Lamotte, an international strategy professor at EM Normandie Business School.

The Shein outlet is a showcase that France’s retail establishment vehemently opposes. Yann Rivoallan, president of the French women’s ready-to-wear federation, said the shop would weaken the image of French fashion.

Platforms such as Shein and online marketplace Temu “put consumers’ safety at risk, weaken our businesses, destroy jobs and threaten the vitality of our regions”, retail trade groups said in a November statement.