Overview

• Shein announced six permanent boutiques from November, starting at Paris’s BHV Marais before expanding to Galeries Lafayette locations in Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges.
• The Galeries Lafayette group said it refuses the installations in the five affiliated stores, citing misalignment with its values and the premium positioning required under its affiliation rules.
• SGM, which owns and operates BHV Marais and several affiliated Galeries Lafayette stores, says the partnership with Shein respects contractual conditions and that discussions continue.
• French apparel federations denounced the move as opening doors to ultra‑fast fashion that harms local brands and retail heritage, intensifying industry backlash already stirred by Shein’s Pimkie tie‑up.
• Shein frames the alliance as a bid to revitalize city centers with about 200 jobs and, after fresh criticism, its France spokesperson emphasized product quality controls and compliance, while the company remains under EU scrutiny and faces a €40 million French fine imposed in July for misleading advertising.