France fines Boohoo over deceptive discounts on website
France's consumer watchdog fined British fast-fashion retailer Boohoo €2.3m for deceptive practices such as fake discounts on its website, it said.
The French consumer watchdog has imposed a €2.3m fine on British fast-fashion retailer Boohoo for deceptive practices on its website, it was announced. The Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) claimed that Boohoo exaggerated the discounts it offered, misleading shoppers about the savings they were making.
Of the promotions examined, 40% were not genuine price reductions, 7% offered a lower discount than advertised, and 48% were in fact a price increase. Boohoo also violated French product labelling rules by using terms like 'leather' or 'suede' to sell synthetic items, the regulator added. The spokesperson for Boohoo said the issues occurred between October 2023 and February 2024, during a time when the company was under previous management and are now resolved.
They stated that they have cooperated fully with the regulator and are reviewing their pricing and labeling practices. France has been cracking down on online fast-fashion businesses, especially Chinese platforms Shein and Temu, with the government passing an anti-fast-fashion law in June that imposes fines on what they call 'disposable' clothing.
Shein was previously fined €40m by France's antitrust agency for misleading discounts in July last year.
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