Shein is opening a store in Paris. Many French are saying 'non'

PARIS — Nearly 170 years ago, a young shopkeeper named Xavier Ruel opened a small store in central Paris with a simple idea: good quality at fair prices. That modest shop quickly grew into the Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville, or BHV, one of the city's most iconic department stores.

These days, customers come for everything from toasters to tights — or just to browse the store's annual Christmas window displays.

Now, the store has also become a flashpoint in France's growing backlash against ultra-fast fashion. On Nov. 1, Shein, the Chinese online retail giant, is set to open its first permanent boutique inside BHV. The move has provoked fierce criticism in France, a country that prides itself on craftsmanship, sustainability and haute couture.

"The store has sold its soul to the devil"

Insid