France Slaps Chinese Fast-Fashion Giant Shein With $47M Fine In Blow To Post-Tariff Pivot Away From US

France has fined fast fashion e-tailer Shein (SHEIN) 40 million euros (approximately $47.2 million) for allegedly misleading consumers about discounts and providing limited information on the environmental impact of its products.

The country's antitrust agency fined Shein's French unit, Infinite Style E-Commerce Co., Ltd., and stated that the company had accepted the fine, according to a Reuters report.

The blow in France comes as Shein and PDD-owned Temu have shifted their focus to Europe following U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, which made it expensive to export and sell products in the United States.

In May, European Union regulators stated that Shein's sales tactics violated EU consumer protection rules and that the company could face fines if it didn't adjust its behavior.

On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for SHEIN remained ‘bullish,’ unchanged from a week ago.

The French agency conducted an investigation into thousands of products on Shein's French site between October 2022 and August 2023 and found that 57% of the deals did not offer the advertised lower price, 19% had a discount less than advertised, and 11% were actually price increases.

The agency said Shein "deceived consumers about the authenticity of discounts they could benefit from." Shein was also unable to commit to the environmental claims on its website, the agency found.

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