Paris (AFP) – The company behind bringing Asian e-commerce giant Shein to a landmark Parisian department store suffered another setback Thursday as Disneyland Paris abandoned plans to open a pop-up boutique. Anger has been boiling since fast-fashion giant Shein announced earlier this month that it would open its first permanent physical store in November at BHV Marais, an iconic building that has stood across from Paris City Hall since 1856. The move prompted some French brands to announce they would leave BHV Marais, and a French state-owned bank pulled out of talks with the operator of the department store to purchase the building.
Disneyland Paris had been slated to open a pop-up store in BHV Marais and stage “It’s a small world” themed window displays for the holidays, but announced Thursday it was pulling out. “Conditions are no longer exist to calmly hold Christmas events,” the company told AFP, confirming information originally reported by the Parisian daily. Trade unions at BHV Marais, which have gone on strike and publicly protested against Shein’s arrival, called the decision by Disneyland Paris a “hammer blow” against the department store following the departure of numerous other retailers. “The end of the year is ruined,” said the trade unions.
Shein also announced plans to open shops at Galeries Lafayette department stores in the cities of Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges, which are also operated by SGM, which manages BHV Marais. SGM previously denounced “political pressure” against it over bringing Shein into France, but declined to comment on Thursday. The office of France’s new minister for small and medium-sized businesses said Thursday that Shein’s arrival sends “a bad signal that should be avoided.”
Founded in China and now based in Singapore, Shein sells a wide variety of products at ultra-competitive prices. But it has also been under global scrutiny over its business model’s impact on the environment and labour conditions at its textile factories.
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