#shein

#shein

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France's consumer watchdog, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, said last week it had discovered the dolls on Shein's website, noting that their descriptions and categorization left little doubt as to their child-pornographic nature. The agency has referred the case to public prosecutors, and Economy Minister Roland Lescure said on Monday he would seek to ban Shein from the French market if such incidents were to occur again.

On the instructions of the prime minister, the government is initiating the procedure to suspend Shein for the time necessary for the platform to demonstrate to the public authorities that all of its content is finally in compliance with our laws and regulations, the office of the prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu, said. An initial review will be conducted by ministers within the next 48 hours.

Shein, the clothing company that has built a massive reputation online for fast fashion, opened its first physical store in Paris on Wednesday. But not without controversy. The French Finance Ministry announced shortly afterward that it was suspending Shein's online platform until it complies with French laws and regulations. Days earlier, Shein came under fire from French authorities for listing a "childlike" sex doll for sale.

"We will cooperate fully with the judicial authorities," Shein's spokesman in France, Quentin Ruffat, told RMC radio, adding the company was prepared to share names of those who have bought such dolls.

The Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) said descriptions for the products on the Shein website "make it difficult to doubt the child pornographic nature of the content." The French daily newspaper Le Parisien said the product in question an 80 centimeter (30 inch) tall doll holding a teddy bear was accompanied by an explicitly sexual description on the Shein website. The consumer watchdog said it had turned the case over to prosecutors.

Since its zany first episode in 1999, "SpongeBob SquarePants" has occupied a special space in pop culture. What started as a quirky Nickelodeon cartoon quickly evolved into a cult phenomenon, attracting not just kids but also millennials, Gen Z, and even their parents. Now, SHEIN is channeling all that Bikini Bottom energy for your winter wardrobe with a limited-edition SpongeBob collection that's equal parts nostalgic, meme-worthy, and wearable.

The company, which had been considering a 50bn float on the London Stock Exchange but is expected to list in Hong Kong, paid just 9.6m in corporation tax despite taking 2bn in sales last year. The payment is equivalent to 25% of the 38.2m in pre-tax profits it made in the UK in 2024, according to accounts filed at Companies House, in line with the UK corporation tax rate.

In the roughly eight years since it burst onto the global e-commerce scene, the uber-cheap fast fashion marketplace Shein has been accused of everything from stealing designs and requiring exploitatively grueling shifts to forcing China's Uyghur minority to work at its facilities, and even working with suppliers that used child labor. Now, the Chinese-founded and Singapore-based online megaretailer is again under scrutiny due to a product listing whose model looks a lot like Luigi Mangione, the 20-something alleged assassin of United HealthCare CEO Brian Thompson last December.

The retail giant's chief executives said the de minimis loophole, which until now allowed small parcels under $800 to enter the US duty-free, would hit competitors like Shein. Trump is set to close the de minimis exemption for goods coming from all countries on Friday. Francis Conforti, Urban Outfitters' operating chief, said the exemption had "really immaterial impact" on the company and that he was not worried that its absence would impact the business.

Liam Byrne MP expressed that any easing of disclosure rules for Shein would not only compromise the UK's listing regime but also risk reputational harm to its financial markets.

A consumer organization filed a complaint with the European Commission against Shein for employing "dark patterns" to manipulate online shopping behavior.

The European Commission is accusing Shein of misleading customers through fake discounts and a series of practices deemed illegal under EU consumer protection laws.

U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order revokes the de minimis exemption for Chinese imports under $800, changing the landscape for companies like Shein and Temu.

Shein and Temu are raising prices starting April 25 due to increased operating expenses and new tariffs, prompting shoppers to order before prices increase.

Temu and Shein warn shoppers of upcoming price hikes due to Trump's tariffs, as the US-China trade war continues to escalate and impact global retail strategies.