Amid scandal, France’s Shein boutique at BHV attracted more than 50,000 visitors

The first French Shein boutique at BHV Paris, which opened on Wednesday amid a scandal surrounding the Asian platform, has attracted “more than 50,000 visitors”, Frédéric Merlin, president of Société des Grands Magasins (SGM), which owns BHV, announced on Sunday.

The opening provoked an outcry after sex dolls resembling young girls, as well as Category A weapons, were found for sale on the Shein platform.

After removing all illicit products from its site, Shein has so far avoided suspension in France, but remains “under close surveillance” by the government and is still subject to legal proceedings.

As for the online platform, a further update is scheduled for next week at the request of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, while on Friday the Ministry of the Interior referred the matter to the Paris Judicial Court to “put an end to the serious harm to public order caused by Shein’s repeated failings”.

Meanwhile, the head of BHV expressed his satisfaction with the Shein store’s footfall in an Instagram post on Sunday. “In just a few days, more than 50,000 visitors have come to discover the first Shein capsule at BHV,” Frédéric Merlin said on the social network.

He reported “an average basket of €45” for customers, and said that “nearly 15% of them went on to shop in other departments” of the department store.

The executive also said he wanted to “expand the capsule with a more comprehensive menswear range, a children’s area, a broader range of dresses, and more accessible basics to cater for all lifestyles”.

Founded in China in 2012 and now based in Singapore, the platform opened its first physical store on Wednesday inside the famous department store directly opposite Paris’s Hôtel de Ville.