France’s consumer watchdog has imposed a €2.33m ($2.72m) fine on UK online fashion retailer Boohoo following an investigation into misleading commercial practices on the French version of its website.
The Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control’s (DGCCRF) National Investigation Service (SNE) examined prices, including sale prices, crossed-out prices and discount percentages, across several hundred products sold via Boohoo’s French site.
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According to a translated version of the statement, the investigation found that Boohoo UK, a subsidiary of the Boohoo group specialising in online ready-to-wear clothing, had misled consumers regarding the genuine nature of its price reductions.
This included failing to account for previously applied promotions and, in some instances, increasing prices before applying a discount.
Of the offers examined, 40% showed no price reduction at all, 7% offered a smaller reduction than advertised, and 48% were in fact price increases, meaning 95% of the offers reviewed were non-compliant.
The investigation also identified non-compliance in product labelling.
This included the prohibited use of the terms “leather”, “imitation leather”, “faux leather”, and “suede” to describe synthetic products, as well as failures to properly disclose the composition of textile items and footwear, including incomplete information on the upper, lining, and sole.
With the agreement of the Paris Public Prosecutor, the DGCCRF proposed a fine for misleading commercial practices and product labelling non-compliance at the end of a criminal settlement procedure.
In the statement, the DGCCRF said: “Tasked with protecting consumers’ economic interests, the DGCCRF is fully committed to ensuring the truthfulness of price reductions that may encourage purchases.”
Boohoo UK accepted the fine.
Last year, Boohoo renamed itself Debenhams Group after acquiring the name and website operations of the department store retailer for £55m.
In June, Debenhams Group reported a narrowed statutory loss after tax of £108.3m for fiscal 2026, down from £326.4m the previous year, marking a year of “successful transformation”.
