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shein

Shein’s Paris Launch Sparks Outrage Over Fast Fashion and ‘Childlike’ Sex Dolls

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In the global capital of fashion, the arrival of the Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant Shein has sparked a storm. The brand plans to open its first-ever permanent store on Wednesday inside BHV, one of the best-known department stores in Paris. But instead of applause, Shein’s debut has been met with outrage, not only for its reputation for cheap, disposable clothing, but also for a shocking scandal involving the sale of “childlike” sex dolls.

The backlash has been going on for weeks. On Tuesday, Paris Deputy Mayor Nicolas Bonnet-Oulaldj stated that “The city of Paris reaffirms that Shein is contrary to its values.”

“We ask the Minister of the Economy to go further than just making threats and to ban the Shein platform in France.”

The controversy has divided France’s retail scene. Both Galeries Lafayette and BHV belong to the Société des Grands Magasins (SGM) group, but Lafayette issued a rare public rebuke in late October, condemning the decision to host Shein, calling the brand “in contradiction with their offer and their values.”

In response, SGM reportedly ordered five Galeries Lafayette locations to rebrand as BHV, a move seen as a major blow to Lafayette’s legacy.

“Our capital cannot become the showcase for disposable goods and exploitation,” said Ian Brossat, a Paris senator from the French Communist Party, in a statement on X.

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Facing intense scrutiny, SGM President Frédéric Merlin defended his decision on RTL radio on Tuesday, citing Shein’s immense popularity.

“We’re speaking of a brand that is regularly bought by 25 million French customers, who are today considered bad people because they buy from this platform?”

But for many in France, Shein’s image sits uneasily alongside Paris’ heritage of haute couture, where craftsmanship, exclusivity, and sustainability are prized. Critics say Shein embodies everything Paris has fought to move beyond—waste, mass production, and environmental neglect.

The irony isn’t lost on observers: Shein landing in the same city that hosted the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement feels almost symbolic of fashion’s ongoing contradictions.

Shein, often described as the face of fast fashion’s excesses, has been accused of ignoring sustainable manufacturing and contributing to massive global shipping emissions. The company insists its “on-demand” production model limits overproduction and waste, a claim skeptics call greenwashing.

Paris, meanwhile, has been working to position itself as a sustainability leader by investing in cycling infrastructure, promoting low-carbon businesses, and making environmental responsibility a central focus of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The fallout has been swift. At least a dozen French brands, including Armor Lux and Figaret, have announced plans to pull their products from BHV in protest. Even Disneyland Paris reportedly scrapped its plans to design BHV’s iconic Christmas window displays this year.

BHV’s director, Karl-Stéphane Cottendin, appeared unfazed while speaking to BFMTV, and brushed off the departures as insignificant among the “more than 2,000 brands” sold at BHV. “Everyone is free to make their own decisions. We have no problem at all with that,” he said.

If Shein’s debut wasn’t controversial enough, a giant poster of Merlin standing beside Shein executive Donald Tang appeared on the BHV façade last week, captioned, “The poster that we shouldn’t have made?”

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The banner’s placement directly across from Paris City Hall, one of Shein’s loudest critics, made the provocation even clearer.

Shein’s Paris launch was nearly derailed days earlier by revelations that the company’s site sold “childlike” sex dolls. France’s finance minister threatened to ban Shein altogether, while the Children’s Commissioner, Sarah El-Haïry, condemned the products, calling buyers “potential predators.”

“No one has the right to buy pedo-criminal dolls. These are deliberate miniature copies of children that hold teddy bears, that wear children’s clothing.”

Prosecutors have opened investigations into Shein, Temu, AliExpress, and Wish for allegedly distributing “violent, pornographic, or degrading content accessible to minors,” and further probes into Shein and AliExpress for spreading “images or depictions of minors of a pornographic nature.”

Shein told CNN that it had banned all sex doll listings and strengthened internal controls, emphasizing that “every seller is responsible for their own listings.” Speaking to the BBC, Shein stated it “has also strengthened its keyword blacklist to further prevent attempted circumvention of product listing restrictions by sellers.” Tang further emphasized that the allegations were being taken seriously.

“The fight against child exploitation is non-negotiable for Shein. These were marketplace listings from third-party sellers, but I take this personally. We are tracing the source and will take swift, decisive action against those responsible.”

SGM’s Merlin said he had been prepared to cancel the Shein partnership after hearing about the dolls, but the swift ban convinced him to proceed. BHV’s Cottendin defended the store’s decision, arguing that scandals like this highlight “the necessity of a physical store, because in a physical store these types of situations would never have taken place.”

online shopping

Making Sustainable And Climate-Friendly Choices When Online Shopping 

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The internet is a vast resource that has created easy ways for us to purchase essentials. Clothing, furniture, electronics, groceries, and more are all available with the click of a button. The growth of technology and the conversation surrounding climate change has occurred simultaneously. With so many ways to shop online, the number of products labeled as “sustainable” has also increased. 

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However, it can become difficult to distinguish how sustainable certain online shopping habits actually are. The term “sustainability” is so vast that it’s hard to determine if our actions are actually helping the environment. So what can we look out for to make the best choices before clicking purchase?

Third-party nonprofit organizations, study manufacturers, and government programs such as the Agriculture Department’s organic certification and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star efficiency standard all offer easy ways to find sustainable digital shopping options. 

Elwyn Grainger-Jones, who leads a nonprofit that certifies product sustainability, told the Associated Press that “there also isn’t a single clearinghouse that tracks which third-party certifications are the most credible.”

“Therein lies an issue and a challenge. What we haven’t seen so far is a third-third party step in and be the information portal on what a good certification is,”  said Grainger-Jones, CEO of Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

According to a study recently published in Environmental Science and Technology, there are cases where a person shopping online may emit less emissions than they would if they went to the store. Of course, this depends on which site they’re on, the shipping speed they choose, and how close they live to a brick-and-mortar alternative. 

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Third-party certification generally is meant to show that an independent group studied sustainability factors. Some focus on certain specific issues while others look at a more general holistic picture. 

Certification labels are also widely varied. Some retailers place them directly on the product and others have them listed on the manufacturer’s website. Larger retail bodies typically list them in their product descriptions. 

“Ideally you want to look for some certifying bodies because they’ve removed some of that up-front labor that as a consumer you otherwise might have to do,” said Clementina Consens who works for B-Lab, which certifies companies that meet environmental and social standards.

Grainger-Jones said “some companies create their own self-certifications that look convincing but don’t mean much. You can go and buy a self-declared certificate for a couple of thousand dollars.”

Consens stated that companies that are serious about sustainability need to not only have their manufacturing and shipping practices properly assessed, but need to make that information easily accessible to their customers. This builds a foundation of trust between the company and consumer.

Specifically, Consens looks to see if a given company has completed an environmental impact assessment, if they make that information public, and whether or not they have data on the company’s greenhouse gas emissions, water, or energy use.

temu

EU Regulators Say Temu Isn’t Doing Enough to Prevent Sale of Illegal Products

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The European Commission has issued a sharp warning to Chinese e-commerce giant Temu, accusing the fast-growing online retailer of exposing European consumers to a flood of potentially illegal and unsafe products.

In preliminary findings released Monday, the Commission outlined multiple concerns about the platform’s compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA)—a sweeping set of rules enacted to better protect internet users across the European Union.

The investigation into Temu, launched last year, is part of a broader effort by EU regulators to hold digital marketplaces accountable for what they host and promote.

According to the Commission, Temu’s current safety protocols may fall well short of the standards required by EU law. Investigators say a recent “mystery shopping” operation uncovered several non-compliant items being sold on the platform, including baby toys and small electronic devices.

While the Commission did not specify which laws these items violated, it noted that the rapid growth of online shopping in the EU has led to a corresponding spike in counterfeit and unsafe products entering the market. There is “a high risk for consumers in the EU to encounter illegal products” on Temu’s website, the Commission said in its statement.

It pointed to “inadequate mitigation measures” and criticized Temu’s internal risk assessments for being overly reliant on generic industry benchmarks rather than on specific data from its own marketplace.

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“Temu is a priority for us. The problems caused on the European market by non-compliant products coming from online marketplaces are an issue.”

Henna Virkkunen, the EU’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, emphasized the seriousness of the situation in a news release.

“We shop online because we trust that products sold in our Single Market are safe and comply with our rules. In our preliminary view, Temu is far from assessing risks for its users at the standards required by the Digital Services Act.”

Temu, a subsidiary of Chinese tech firm Pinduoduo Inc., has seen explosive growth in recent years by offering ultra-low-cost products, ranging from fashion to home goods, primarily shipped from Chinese vendors.

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It currently boasts 92 million users across the EU and 185.6 million in the United States. However, the platform’s rise has also drawn scrutiny for how it manages seller activity and monitors product safety.

When they launched the probe, EU authorities stated that they would examine whether Temu was taking sufficient action to find and combat “rogue traders” or vendors who allegedly sell non-compliant or counterfeit goods, get suspended, and then quickly return under new identities. In its preliminary findings, the Commission deemed Temu’s approach to be insufficient.

The Commission says it will also look into other suspected rule violations on Temu, including the platform’s “addictive design features, the transparency of its recommendation systems, and its access to data for researchers.”

In a brief response, Temu stated that it “will continue to cooperate fully with the Commission,” but did not address the specific findings.

Under the DSA, platforms found in violation could face fines of up to 6% of their global annual revenue. They may also be ordered to take concrete steps to bring their operations into compliance.

Before the EU watchdogs reach a final conclusion, the company will have the opportunity to review the Commission’s investigative files and address the allegations.

As European authorities ramp up enforcement of the DSA, the outcome of this case may set a significant precedent for how global e-commerce platforms are held accountable for the goods they deliver to doorsteps.

These Retailers Are Celebrating Black Friday Early This Year

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With the Covid-19 pandemic throwing a major wrench in the way we all shop, many major retailers throughout the country are deciding to start their Black Friday deals online and early to give consumers ample time to take advantage of the year’s biggest day of sales. And since it’s still early in the holiday season, getting all of your shopping done now will make for less stress later. 

Abbio: The week of October 23rd to October 30th Abbio kitchen is offering its customers 25% of the entire site as a part of the brand’s pre-Thanksgiving VIP sale. Just use the code ABBIOHOLIDAY25 at checkout to receive your deal. Additionally, if you miss this round of sales, from November 26th to November 30th Abbio will be offering 25% off the entire site again for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, simply use code ABBIOBF25 at checkout. 

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Best Buy: Best Buy has already started their holiday season with their daily Deal of the Day. This type of promotion is typical for major retailers like Best Buy during the holiday season, as it gives consumers something to look forward to in regard to waiting for something they want to go on sale. As the name suggests the item on sale changes everyday, but so far Best Buy has offered savings on amazing technology such as the Bella Pro Series 8-quart air fryer, Nixplay digital photo frame, Wakeman camping tent and Conair Hot Air Brush Styler. 

Dell: If you’re in the market for a new PC laptop or computer this holiday season look no further than Dell. Dell is known already for being one of the most affordable and well-functioning brands in terms of their personal computers. The company has already begun rolling out some Black Friday deals on their monitors and other various electronics; currently laptop models are on sale for up to 28% off!

Home Depot: If you have a handy individual in your life you’ve most likely shopped at Home Depot for gifts before, or maybe you just need to pick up some new materials for a home improvement project and you don’t want to break the bank. Either way, Home Depot is already offering a multitude of holiday sales, their biggest has yet to come, however. From November 6th to December 2nd Home Depot will be offering deals on holiday decorations, appliances, tools, and more. You can even pre-order your Christmas Tree now to make it less stressful for you come December!

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Lowe’s: Keeping up with the home improvement theme, Lowe’s is also offering a bunch of holiday deals this year. Like Best Buy, Lowes has begun offering one-day Cyber Steals to motivate customers to check their website everyday for what the daily deal might be. So far the savings have reached up to 40% on select appliances and home renovation items!

Macy’s: Macy’s is known for being one of the go-to establishments on Black Friday, and this year they’re carrying that energy into their online Black Friday deals; which will officially begin on November 16th. Macy’s will have sales in every single one of their departments as usual. 

Target: Target will begin offering their Balck Friday deals throughout the entire month of November with discounts on home goods, clothing, accessories, electronics, and even groceries. Starting on November 29th customers will be able to preview the stores weekly Black Friday Now deals that will last for the entirety of the holiday season. Also, this year Target is introducing price-adjustments from November 1st to December 24th on any item that’s advertised as a Black Friday deal but offered at a lower price online or in store. 

Walmart: This retail giant normally always starts their Black Friday deals early in the season to ease some of the pressure of the actual day. Walmart is starting their deals on November 4th and will progressively add more and more as time goes on until it’s actual Black Friday.

Shopping Mall

Triple Five’s “American Dream” Opens in New Jersey

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With many shopping malls seeing closures and 9,000 stores closing throughout America during 2019 it came as a surprise to many when a $5 billion mall – American Dream – started construction in New Jersey’s Meadowlands.

While there are many who are huge fans of the “mall-slash-entertainment center” there are also many who are against the idea. With some saying that American Dream is the future of shopping, tourists are predicted to head to New Jersey by the bucket load. Others have commented on the environmental impact the center will have as well as the fact that the retail format it is promoting is in fact diminishing.

At the moment it is unclear which argument is the right one, however Triple Five, the owners of American Dream, are confident that over 40 million people will head to the 3 meter square foot center, spending their hard-earned cash at the many retail outlets in the mall as well as heading to the entertainment areas, including indoor slopes for snowboarding and skiing, a wave pool for surfing, an aquarium and of course, what shopping center is complete without its own roller coasters?

However the critics are fierce with the general consensus being that Meadowlands is an area that shoppers would want to avoid. Featuring in the opening credits of The Sopranos has nurtured the belief that the area is a “mafia dumping ground” while many other projects have been and failed before.

Previously known as Xanadu, the mall has had over twenty false starts, leading the locals to give the center the nickname Xanadon’t. Even Chris Christie, the former New Jersey governor, denounced the building stating it was “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey and maybe America.”

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Alongside the negative thoughts on the area, environmentalists have spent decades campaigning against the project and the building itself. Sited on wetlands that 125 different bird species call home, the wildlife has suffered significantly. Many of the residents have expressed their frustration at such a large amount of taxpayers’ money being invested into the property – over $1 billion which could be spent on more important requirements in the area including providing more affordable housing.

Jeff Tittel is the director of the Sierra Club environmental group’s New Jersey sector and commented that “they filled in wetlands to build a water park. It’s almost funny.” And with his prediction that to be a success the project will need to bring in around 100,000 cars per day, he is concerned about the traffic issues as well as the damage being caused to the environment through pollution, saying “this is a symbol of all that is wrong with New Jersey politics.”

The mall’s owners Triple Five have hit back with optimism that the American Dream will not only be generating billions for the New Jersey economy through taxes, but also create 17,000 jobs as well as potentially giving the retail industry a lifeline in its battle with online shopping.

Thanks to online retailers such as Amazon, the shopping mall – once the epicenter for teenagers to hang out while the older generations continued to shop – has seen a huge decrease in stores staying open. And with so many people preferring to shop from the comfort of their own home, on public transport or, well, wherever they want to be, an estimated 20 – 25 percent of our malls will have shut before 2022.

Chief Marketing Strategist of Triple Five, Paul Ghermezian is adamant that due to our need for real experiences, rather than purely living online, his mall will thrive:

“It’s real experiences like ride a coaster… you know, come in and touch something, sting-rays, lace up your skates and get out there.”

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With this in mind more than 55 percent of American Dream is dedicated to creating experiences with restaurants, cinemas and hotels joining the shops and activity centers.

While Triple Five is family-owned they like to take their time in ensuring everything is just right and the same applies to American Dream. While Big Snow – North America’s first indoor, real snow ski and snowboard center – opened in December none of the shops are scheduled to open until 2020.

Nickelodeon Universe has also opened and is the largest indoor theme park in North America. With their star acts promoting the rides – including Rugrats and SpongeBob SquarePants – it is believed it will become a huge success.

There will also be the DreamWorks Water Park that will include the ability to surf a 6-foot wave while others can relax in the cabanas looking at views of Manhattan.

However, just because it will have been built, does not mean people will visit. Former chairman and chief executive of Sears Canada, Mark Cohen, does not believe so. While he has had experience working with the Ghermezians and has always been impressed by what they have been achieving, he is also wary of the success they claim they will achieve. According to Cohen the center’s location is a thinly populated area so an indoor entertainment and shopping complex could be a mighty draw. However he believes that if “they come further south” life will be harder for the company.

Cyber Monday

Consumers Spent $9.4 Billion During Cyber Monday This Year

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The holiday shopping season has officially kicked off with one of the most chaotic weekends for retail and online stores everywhere. Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and finally Cyber Monday truly did set the tone for how intense holiday gift shopping is looking to be in the coming month. According to data curated by Adobe, Cyber Monday in particular broke e-commerce records, as shoppers in the United States spent about $9.4 billion online this year! 

According to the same data, Americans spent close to $1.5 billion more than they did last year; granted $3 billion of the money spent this year was on smartphones alone, another record broken for the smartphone industry. Technology has truly developed and thrived this year, so it makes sense that a hefty percentage of spending was on smartphones and other electronics that were on sale this Monday. 

During the peak times of online traffic, consumers were collectively spending $12 million every minute. After this weekend, US online shoppers have spent close to $82 billion since the beginning of November on their holiday shopping.  Representatives from Adobe said that the original forecast for Cyber Monday Sales didn’t exceed $8 billion, even with the massive amount of money consumers have already spent before this past weekend. 

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“That’s despite very aggressive pricing on the part of online sellers. “Retailers unlocked sales earlier to combat a shorter shopping season, while continuing to drive up promotion of the big branded days including Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Consumers capitalized on deals and ramped up spending, especially on smartphones, where activity increased on days when shoppers were snowed or rained in,” said John Copeland, head of Marketing and Consumer Insights at Adobe, in a statement.

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According to Tech Crunch Magazine, the top items sold this year on Cyber Monday included Frozen 2 merchandise, LOL Surprise Dolls, NERF products, Nintendo products, Star Wars merchandise, Samsung TV’s, Amazon Fire TV, Airpods, and air fryers. A diverse group of products for sure, but when we think about where each of these products fall demographic wise, it makes a lot of sense. Of course, smartphones also took a top spot, accounting for almost a third of the total money spent, sending overall smartphone sales for the year up 46%. 

Cyber Monday has been slowly taking the crown from Black Friday in terms of significant shopping days during this Thanksgiving weekend. More and more consumers are embracing the digital age and staying home instead of getting up early to go to the store and wait for hours in line to get a TV on sale that they could just buy for the same reduced price online that upcoming Monday. Additionally, this year the winter weather hit a lot of the US hard during Thanksgiving weekend, so customers were even less inclined to leave their homes, and more inclined to shop online. 

“Online shopping received some unexpected boosts this holiday season. Retailer fears of a shorter season meant that deals came much sooner than usual, and consumers took notice. In some areas of the country, adverse weather in the form of snow and heavy rain meant that many opted to stay home instead and grabbed the best deals online. Just look at Black Friday, which brought in $7.4 billion online and is just below last year’s Cyber Monday at $7.9 billion,” said Taylor Schreiner, principal analyst and head of Adobe Digital Insights.

With online retail growing everyday, it makes perfect sense that Cyber Monday brought in so much money this year. Tech Crunch predicts that in total consumers will spend $14 billion more than they did this year on their online shopping alone. It’s truly beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

 

Shopping Online

Retail eCommerce Sales Set To Hit $4.8 trillion By 2021

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New research predicts that retail eCommerce sales will hit $4.8 trillion by 2021, as retail continues to boom despite the continued demise of the high street.

Research published on Statista revealed that eCommerce sales in 2019 have reached 3.53 trillion dollars and are expected to grow to 6.54 trillion dollars in 2022. The report also revealed that despite advancements in technology and an increasing use of mobile devices for shopping, Desktop PCs still remain the most popular device for shopping online.

There has been much said about the death of the high street, but many have questions whether this paints only part of the picture. Indeed, 1 in 10 high street stores are currently empty and we are frequently hearing about large, household named retailers closing major locations.

This year alone, Business Insider revealed that the US retail industry will see the closure of over 8,600 stores, with The Kitchen Collection, Sears, Kmart, Party City, Walgreens, Barneys, Charlotte Russe, Family Dollar and Chico’s all reducing their store portfolios. Furthermore, many were shocked when Payless announced it was ceasing trading at all of its 2,500 stores back in February, a move which is set to go down as the largest retail liquidation in history.

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Understanding what contributions to success or failure in such an uncertain market is typically hard to determine. Clearly the rising cost of maintaining a ‘bricks and mortar’ store, along with increased online competition from international eCommerce retailers has led to greater variety and choice for customers. The evolving 24/7 nature of retail, the rise of ‘Click & Collect’ and the need for instant gratification have all contributed to a soar in customer expectations, reduced customer loyalty and a greater amount of choice in where they can choose to spend their money. As a result, retailers who want to hold onto these ever-fickle customers are having to radically rethink their approach, their infrastructure and their market channels.

There has been a common assumption that those high street retailers who are thriving are those who have integrated an eCommerce offering, yet some of the biggest players in the market are showing that this isn’t necessarily the case. A classic example of this is low-cost fashion retailer Primark. Reports suggest that the popular high street retailer recently experienced an increase in sales of 4%, yet they have no eCommerce offering. Alongside this we see online brands such as Amazon actively working to establish a presence on the high street, with their prominent Amazon Lockers displayed in a growing number of locations, in addition to their Amazon Go stores. So far, this approach appears to be succeeding; there are several US stores in Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, with additional stores set to roll out in future months.

Reflecting on the current state of play in the retail sector, Tejas Dave, founder of Dropshipping platform Avasam, believes that the future of retail is omnichannel, a blended approach to retail where customers experience the same level of service regardless of which platform they choose to engage with.

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In a recent interview, Tejas said, “Fashion store Oasis are a great example of omnichannel in action. Their eCommerce website and their mobile app allow for customers to order for home delivery or in-store collection, while in stores, sales assistants carry iPads that they can check to-the-minute stock levels. From those iPads, they can also take orders for next day delivery to the customer’s preferred address, or take payments, helping to eliminate queues at peak times. In addition, by having a single system, customers and staff can both see the same information, reducing disputes, and stopping customers asking the staff to ‘Just check for them’. The Oasis team have created a winning strategy, and feedback from customers is positive in terms of the convenience they offer.”

Developments in technology have meant that web-only retailers don’t have bear the risk of entering the high street directly, they can do so through partnering with high street retailers, where their products can be offered in store for ordering. Alternatively they can simply use the retailer as a location for click and collect arrangements.

Looking forward, Tejas advises retailers to stay abreast of other technology developments , However, following the crowd isn’t always the best approach either; Tejas warns against simply jumping on the next fad, as no matter how exciting or innovative they may be, not all solutions will be right for everyone.

“What is clear is that the retail sector is not dead, and neither is the high street. It just needs the adoption of the right technology to stay relevant. Retailers can ensure they don’t end up out of business simply by focusing on a smarter approach to their use of technology,” adds Tejas.