Shein has chosen France as the country where he will take an unprecedented step in his commercial career: open permanent physical stores. After years operating exclusively in the digital environment and performing sporadic actions with ephemeral stores, the ultra -granted fashion platform announces that it will premiere its first permanent physical sale in November, in the emblematic department stores BHV Marais in Paris.

This new space, which is part of an agreement with the Société des Grands Magasins Commercial Real Estate (SGM), marks the beginning of a more ambitious strategy of physical implementation in Europe. Over the next months, Shein will open another five stores inside affiliated branches of Lafayette galleries in Dijon, Reims, Grenoble, Angers and Limoges.

The operation is part of the premise of “Revitalize urban centers” And it comes with the aim of generating 200 direct and indirect jobs in France, an argument that seeks to soften the political and economic tensions that the brand faces in European territory.

“We recognize the role of France as the world capital of fashion. It is natural for this trip to begin in Paris, in the BHV, cradle of modern trade”has declared Donald Tang, executive president of Shein.

A market under pressure

Although Shein’s entry into the physical retail is a new chapter for the company, it also arrives at one of the most delicate moments in its history in Europe. The brand is being subject to growing pressure by institutions and sectorial associations, which accuse it of unfair competition, environmental pollution and labor exploitation.

Recently, the French Senate approved a bill that regulates ultra -grape fashion, seeking to stop the excesses of platforms such as Shein or Temu. The regulations provides to limit their advertising campaigns and apply penalties for practices that the European textile sector considers harmful to local trade.

Despite this, Shein maintains its expansion rate and in 2022 reported revenues for 23,000 million dollars. Currently, it operates in more than 150 countries.

From the SGM Directorate, the real estate group behind the BHV and the spaces affiliated with Galeies Lafayette, have defended the alliance with Shein as an opportunity to attract a young audience, revitalize urban commercial environments and adapt the offer to local tastes thanks to the intelligence of data of the Asian giant.

“With Shein we open a new page. It is an important innovation: its knowledge of online sales allows you to adapt the offer to each territory,” Frédéric Merlin, president of SGM, explained.

This commercial operation not only reflects a strategic turn of Shein towards the physical environment, but also a legitimation tactic in one of the world’s most symbolic markets, Paris, as the cradle of fashion.