UK fashion retailer Boohoo has been ordered to pay €2.3m ($2.7m) by France’s consumer watchdog after being found guilty of “deceptive business practices,” including breaches of website labelling requirements.
The Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) announced on 20 August 2026 that Boohoo had wrongly labelled synthetic items as “leather,” “faux leather,” and “suede,” in violation of French regulations on accurate textile and footwear descriptions.
The DGCCRF’s National Directorate for Investigative Operations discovered that Boohoo had not disclosed legally mandated details about the material composition of its textile products, as well as the components used in shoe uppers, linings, and soles.
Investigators also flagged further deceptive sales tactics. The retailer was found to have promoted online discounts that did not genuinely reflect price cuts. Analysis by the DGCCRF revealed that 40% of promotions examined offered no actual savings, 7% delivered smaller discounts than promised, and in 48% of cases, prices had actually gone up.
Paris prosecutors signed off on a criminal settlement under which Boohoo.com UK would pay the penalty to the State Treasury — a payment the company has already made. Boohoo must also post a notice on its homepage for 30 days informing customers about the enforcement action.
Speaking to Just Style, a Boohoo representative said: “These historic issues relate to a period from October 2023 to February 2024, when the business was under previous management, and are now resolved. We have cooperated fully with the regulator, and continue to review how we price and label our products.”
Following the news, shares in Debenhams, Boohoo’s parent company reportedly dropped 2.4%.
This ruling is part of a wider crackdown by French regulators on online fast-fashion companies. Over the past year, France has introduced new legislation aimed at curbing the environmental and consumer harms of “disposable” fashion, with platforms like Shein and Temu in the crosshairs. Notably, Shein was fined €40m last July over misleading discount claims.
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