Shein to open its store at BHV Paris on Wednesday

Ultra-fast-fashion giant Shein, widely criticized for its practices, will open its first-ever permanent physical store worldwide on Wednesday at BHV in Paris, BHV’s owner, Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), announced on Instagram on Friday.

On the sixth floor of the Bazar de l’Hôtel de Ville, a historic department store, the brand—whose factories are primarily located in China—will offer thousands of low-cost items, despite fierce controversy. Shein is set to open five additional stores in France later in November at Galeries Lafayette locations operated by SGM.

“BHV Shein opening on November 5 at 1 p.m.,” posted SGM CEO Frédéric Merlin on Instagram, adding “world first” to highlight that this will be the platform’s first permanent physical store anywhere in the world. Until now, Shein has operated exclusively online, founded in China in 2012 and headquartered in Singapore.

The French government, Paris City Hall, BHV’s partner brands, the inter-union group of BHV employees, an online petition with over 110,000 signatories, and numerous players in the French textile sector have all voiced their opposition. Despite near-universal indignation, the alliance between Shein and BHV is set to become a reality.

Shein and Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), owner of BHV since 2023, will open a space of more than 1,000 square meters. This marks the first step in Shein’s physical retail rollout, with plans to open five additional stores at Galeries Lafayette in Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers, and Limoges, all of which are owned by SGM.

Targeted by a bill aimed at curbing the rise of ultra-fast fashion, Shein has been fined three times this year in France for a total of €191 million ($204 million) for non-compliance with online cookie regulations, false promotions, misleading information, and failure to declare the presence of plastic microfibers in its products.

Paris, October 31, 2025 (AFP)