Paris BHV Marais ends Shein partnership after sale

The historic BHV Marais department store in Paris will end its partnership with the fast-fashion giant Shein after its operating company sold the flagship location to a new management group. The decision, announced on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, follows seven months of intense controversy and commercial fallout stemming from Shein's first permanent physical store opening in the Paris landmark last November.

Societe des Grands Magasins (SGM), which has operated the store opposite Paris City Hall since 2023, sold the BHV Marais at a loss to a group of executives led by its outgoing CEO, Karl-Stephane Cottendin. Cottendin, who had publicly defended the Shein partnership last year, now describes the decision as a strategic error. He stated that Shein would ideally leave the store by Christmas 2026.

The partnership triggered immediate backlash from the outset. Shein, founded in China in 2012 and now based in Singapore, has faced widespread criticism over its ultrafast-fashion business model, including concerns about environmental impact, supplier working conditions, and the sale of problematic products on its platform. The retailer came under particular scrutiny in France last November...