BOOHOO FINED £2M BY FRENCH WATCHDOG OVER MISLEADING DISCOUNTS

Boohoo has been fined 2.3 million euros (£2 million) by France's consumer watchdog over misleading pricing practices on its French website. The Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) found that the Manchester-based fashion retailer gave shoppers a false impression of discounts being offered. The regulator also found that Boohoo used banned terms such as "leather" or "suede" to describe synthetic products, breaching French labelling rules.

Analysis of Boohoo's listings by the DGCCRF found that 95 per cent of those examined failed to comply with pricing regulations. Of the promotions reviewed, 40 per cent offered no price reduction at all, 7 per cent offered a smaller discount than advertised, and 48 per cent actually increased prices before applying a discount. Boohoo, part of the recently rebranded Debenhams Group and listed in London, did not account for previously applied promotions when calculating discounts.

A Boohoo spokesperson said the issues "relate to a period from October 2023 to February 2024, when the business was under previous management, and are now resolved". The company stated it had co-operated fully with the regulator and continued to review its pricing and labelling practices. The fine reflects France's broader enforcement action against fast fashion retailers; Chinese-owned Shein was fined 40 million euros by French authorities in July 2024 for similar misleading discount practices.