“Urgent Action Needed”: Eric Lombard Aims to Counter Temu and Shein’s Surge

Is France on the verge of being flooded with Chinese products from Temu and Shein, e-commerce platforms known for their unbeatable prices? This concern looms large in France, especially within the retail sector, following Donald Trump’s announcement of a staggering 145% customs duty on Chinese goods. As a result, China might look towards flooding the European market, particularly France, with these small packages. When asked about this in an interview with La Tribune Dimanche on April 20, Economy Minister Eric Lombard expressed his determination not to stand idly by.

“We must curb this phenomenon,” he firmly stated. For him, the threats posed by these websites are threefold: social, health, and environmental. He elaborated, “These shipments directly compete with our businesses and merchants. Some products do not meet European standards, and the people manufacturing them work under conditions that are not aligned with our values. It’s also an environmental absurdity.”

The minister also highlighted some staggering statistics: “The volume of goods is enormous: 400 million items were shipped last year. Nearly 800 million are projected this year. […] Just to the European market, that’s 600 jumbo jets taking off each night from China!”

But how can we deeply address this phenomenon? “We are mobilizing both in France and across Europe,” explained Eric Lombard. To him, the consumer is key. According to the minister, the strategy should be “to alert but not to blame.” He further explained: “These inexpensive items are purchased by consumers who often have limited means.”

Eric Lombard finally announced, “On April 29, the ministers of Bercy and I will address this issue to raise awareness and also to announce measures.” Therefore, a meeting is set in less than ten days to unveil new government measures aimed at countering the ultra-low-cost commerce from China.

According to the Digital 100 report published by Similarweb, Temu is the second fastest-growing site in France. Its monthly unique visitors increased from 5.7 million in 2023 to 9.7 million in 2024. As for Shein, the site reportedly has 100 million unique visitors in Europe, with 23 million in France. Clearly, to curb this trend, the government will need to take significant action.