Boohoo fined €2.33 million by French regulators for deceptive pricing

French regulators have fined the British online fashion retailer Boohoo €2.33 million following an investigation into deceptive pricing and labeling practices on its French website. The DGCCRF, France's consumer fraud watchdog, found that the company engaged in an organized system of misleading promotions between October 2023 and February 2024.

According to the investigation, 95% of the promotions examined were non-compliant with pricing regulations. Specifically, 40% of the advertised discounts were not genuine price cuts, 7% offered smaller discounts than claimed, and 48% of the 'discounted' prices were actually higher than the original price. Additionally, the company was cited for using protected terms like ‘leather’ and ‘suede’ to describe synthetic materials.

Boohoo has accepted the fine as part of a negotiated criminal settlement with the Paris Prosecutor's Office. The company stated that the identified issues occurred prior to the current management team taking over and that the necessary corrections have been implemented.