Singapore-based online retailer Shein will not be banned in France while authorities investigate the sale of illegal items, the French government said on Friday. Paris said the company had removed all illegal products from its platform and remained “under close observation by state authorities.” It added that legal proceedings against the firm would continue.
The government’s review found no evidence that the platform was selling illegal products such as child pornography, stabbing weapons or certain medicines. Shein, founded in Nanjing, China, in 2008, moved its headquarters to Singapore in 2022.
The platform sparked outrage in France after it was found to have advertised “childlike” sex dolls. Shein said it had sanctioned the seller involved, banned the sale of sex dolls on its site and temporarily suspended all third‑party listings. France also urged the European Union to consider sanctions over the doll listings and had threatened to ban Shein unless it complied with regulations.
On the same week France moved to suspend the site, Shein opened its first permanent brick-and-mortar store in Paris’s BHV Marais department store — an opening met by a petition that gathered more than 120,000 signatures.
Separately, the European Union and national consumer authorities are probing Shein’s marketing practices for potential breaches of EU consumer law. The company has also faced criticism from environmental groups over its fast-fashion business model.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
