France Fines Boohoo €2.33m Over Misleading Discounts

French regulators have fined British online fashion retailer Boohoo €2.33 million after an investigation found widespread misleading pricing and false discount claims

France’s anti-fraud and consumer protection agency, DGCCRF, said Boohoo used deceptive sales practices that gave customers the impression they were receiving bigger discounts than they actually were.

The investigation found that some clothing and other products advertised as being on sale were either not discounted or were offered at misleading prices.

Regulators also discovered cases where products were advertised as leather or suede but were actually made from synthetic materials.

According to the DGCCRF, the use of constant sales promotions and discounted prices could influence customers into believing they were getting particularly good deals.

95% Of Ads Found Non-Compliant

The French watchdog said it examined hundreds of products advertised by Boohoo and found significant problems with their pricing.

About 40 percent of the items examined were not actually on sale, while 7 percent had reductions that did not correspond with the discounts advertised.

The investigation also found that 48 percent of the products were more expensive than their original prices.

Overall, the DGCCRF said 95 percent of the advertisements examined failed to comply with consumer protection rules.

Boohoo Part Of Debenhams Group

Boohoo operates under the Debenhams Group, which also owns several other fashion brands, including boohooMAN, Karen Millen and PrettyLittleThing.

The company acquired the Debenhams brand in 2021 after the British department store collapsed into bankruptcy.

The French penalty adds to growing regulatory scrutiny of major fast-fashion retailers over their pricing practices and marketing claims.

The case highlights the increasing pressure on online fashion platforms to ensure that advertised discounts accurately reflect genuine reductions and that product descriptions are not misleading.