France moves to suspend Shein website as it opens first store in Paris

DIMITAR DILKOFF/POOL/AFP

Asian online giant Shein has opened its first physical store in the world in Paris, a day after French prosecutors said they were investigating the company over childlike sex dolls found on its online platform by the consumer watchdog.

Shein promised to co-operate fully with authorities who are also investigating Temu, AliExpress and Wish.

Shoppers queued to get into the store on the sixth floor of Paris department store BHV, while protesters screamed "Shame!" at them from the other side of the Rue de Rivoli.

BHV's decision to house the fast-fashion giant has angered rival clothing brands and a number have said they will leave the prestigious department store in protest.

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Protests against the opening continued inside the store, and one person let off a foul-smelling spray.

Fashion designer Agnès B said earlier she would close her concession in BHV when her contract ended in January.

"I'm completely against this fast-fashion... there are jobs under threat, it's very bad," she told French radio.

Shein spokesman Quentin Ruffat promised to provide information on sellers, buyers and products involved in selling the childlike sex dolls on its site.

AliExpress told the BBC it takes the matter very seriously.

Temu said it was not involved in the case and did not allow the sale of such items on its platform, although it told the BBC it was working with French authorities "to reinforce our minor protection mechanism". Wish has also been contacted for comment.

Shein has become best known for its discounted and trendy clothes, but has drawn criticism over its environmental impact and working conditions.

Frédéric Merlin, whose SGM company runs BHV, has admitted that he considered ending the department store's partnership with the retailer.

However, he said Shein's response had "convinced me to continue" and he expressed confidence in the products it was going to sell in his store. "The clothes we're going to sell do not exploit workers or children," he told French radio.

Shein, which was founded in China, is also set to open outlets in seven other cities, inside Galeries Lafayette department stores run by SGM. But Galeries Lafayette has refused to have anything to do with Shein and will withdraw its name from the stores in Angers, Dijon, Grenoble, Le Mans, Limoges, Orléans and Reims.

The Paris prosecutor's office said Shein and the other three e-commerce platforms were being investigated over violent, pornographic or "undignified messages" that could be accessed by minors.

Shein and AliExpress are also under investigation over the dissemination of content related to children that are of a pornographic nature, the prosecutor's office said.

The cases have been referred to the Paris Office des Mineurs, the prosecution service added. The office is an arm of the French police force that oversees the protection of minors.

AliExpress said the listings in question violated its policies and were removed once it became aware of them.

"Sellers found to violate or trying to circumvent these requirements will be penalised in accordance with our rules," AliExpress said in a statement.

On Monday, Shein said it had banned the sale of all sex dolls on its platform worldwide. The Singapore-based retailer also said that it would permanently block all seller accounts related to the illegal sale of the childlike dolls and set stricter controls on its platform.

The French consumer watchdog, the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control, had said the sex dolls' description and categorisation left "little doubt as to the child pornography nature" of the products.