The French authorities have warned they may block market access to Chinese retailer Shein after it emerged the online fashion giant was selling sex dolls with a disturbingly “childlike” appearance.Shein, which said the dolls were being sold by third-party sellers on its site, is scheduled to open its very first bricks-and-mortar store inside the upmarket department store BHV in Paris this week.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listLast week, France’s consumer watchdog – the Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) – said it had discovered the dolls on Shein’s website, noting that their descriptions left little doubt as to their “paedophilic nature”.The watchdog also fined Shein 40 million euros for what it called “deceptive” pricing practices and for overstating its environmental record.France’s economy minister, Roland Lescure, told BFM TV on Monday: “In cases involving terrorism, drug trafficking, or child pornographic materials, the government has the right to request that access to the French market be prohibited.”Frederic Merlin, president of Societe des Grands Magasins, which owns BHV, called the sale of the dolls on Shein’s platform “indecent”.Besides the sex-doll scandal, Shein has also been facing criticism over its factory working conditions and the environmental impacts of cheap, “throwaway” fashion products. SHEIN’s brand flags and a large promotional ad are seen hanging at the BHV Mara …
