French regulator imposes €2.3 million penalty on Boohoo for misleading discounts

France’s consumer authority has levied a €2.3 million fine on online fashion retailer Boohoo for employing deceptive discount tactics. An audit revealed that four out of ten promotions did not lower prices at all, while a further seven percent offered smaller cuts than claimed and nearly half increased the price before the sale. The regulator also cited the use of “leather” and “suede” labels on synthetic products as a breach of French labeling standards.

This sanction arrives four years after Boohoo settled a $100 million US lawsuit over sham promotions, a case settled without admission of liability. The company, now owned by Debenhams Group, attributed the violations to a period between October 2023 and February 2024 under previous leadership and said it has fully cooperated with investigators. A spokesperson added that the firm is reviewing its pricing and labeling practices. The fine underscores growing regulatory scrutiny of online retailers amid intense competition from low-cost platforms.