French consumer protection authorities have fined online fashion retailer Boohoo €2.33 million ($2.6 million) for deceptive commercial practices including fake discounts and improper product labeling, the DGCCRF fraud watchdog announced.
An investigation found that 95% of promotional claims examined were non-compliant: 40% offered no price reduction at all, 48% were in fact price increases, and 7% showed smaller discounts than advertised. The retailer also used terms such as "leather" and "suede" to describe synthetic products, violating French labeling rules.
Boohoo accepted the penalty under a criminal settlement procedure agreed with the Paris public prosecutor. The fine follows a 2022 settlement of a $100 million class-action lawsuit brought by California consumers over similar practices, which Boohoo resolved without admitting liability. The company has also faced scrutiny over working conditions at its UK supply chain in 2020 and 2022.