As expected, Shein‘s representatives failed to appear. On Tuesday the e-commerce platform refused to attend a hearing before a committee of the French National Assembly. The company, whose global headquarters is based in Singapore, had said it would not appear until the court had ruled on its suspension, and will consequently be referred to the public prosecutor.
Shein display at the BHV Marais – STEPHANE OUZOUNOFF / HANS LUCAS / AFP
The potential penalty is minimal: a €7,500 fine. But it is “symbolic” in light of the fast-fashion brand’s “disrespectful” attitude, says Renaissance MP Sandrine Le Feur, chair of the National Assembly’s Committee on Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning, before which the company had been summoned.
Shein has already been fined three times in France this year, totalling €191 million, notably for false promotions and misleading information.
Last week, the Asian group requested a further postponement of the hearing, arguing that it wished first to await the Paris Judicial Court’s decision on its suspension, sought by the state because of the banned products it had been selling.
Following the discovery at the end of October of child-like sex dolls and Category A weapons on sale, Shein was summoned for the first time on November 18 to appear before the Assembly’s fact-finding mission on checks of products imported into France.
The Sustainable Development Committee then took over, summoning Shein on November 26 and again on December 2. Each time, Shein requested a postponement due to the legal proceedings initiated by the government.
No excuse
“MPs respect ongoing investigations and the separation of powers, and so this inquiry is absolutely no excuse,” said Sandrine Le Feur. “Shocked” by Shein’s “three refusals,” she explained that referring the matter to the public prosecutor was “a first” for a standing committee of the Assembly. The referral is due to be made on Tuesday evening, Ms Le Feur’s office told AFP.
In her view, Shein’s behaviour is “not acceptable.” She is particularly outraged by the Asian group’s request for a “preliminary interview(…) to ensure that the hearing takes place properly.”
Shein has taken “note” of the referral, and “reaffirms its willingness to participate in the work” of the committee, the company said in a statement sent to AFP. “We consider that any contribution must be made with due respect for the ongoing legal proceedings and once the expected decision of the judicial court has been handed down,” Shein reiterated.
A cross-party motion for a European resolution will also be submitted to the Assembly’s European Affairs Committee on Wednesday, to alert Brussels and call for the suspension of the platform at EU level. On Wednesday December 10, the excesses of e-commerce platforms will again be on the parliamentary agenda, with the presentation of the report by the fact-finding mission on checks on imported products.
Before that, Shein will be in court on Friday. The state will request a three-month suspension of the site and a reopening subject to conditions, under the supervision of Arcom, the digital regulator. The Paris public prosecutor’s office indicated last week that a three-month blocking order could be considered disproportionate in light of the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.
Faced with a first attempt at suspension in early November, the group withdrew the offending products and suspended all sales made on its French site by third-party sellers, its “marketplace,” as well as all non-clothing sales.
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