Shein calls for more uniform EU rules to support expansion and proposes a single registry

Shein wants Europe to make its e-commerce rules more uniform. Christina Fontana, the company’s brand director for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said fragmented enforcement across EU member states makes international expansion especially difficult.

Speaking at the 40th Digital Economy and Telecommunications Meeting organized by Ametic in Santander, Spain, Fontana said a company selling across several European markets may face roughly 120 regulatory compliance obligations. Although EU rules are intended to be harmonized, she said their application remains “quite fragmented.”

Fontana proposed a single European registry and a harmonized approach to reduce administrative complexity and allow operators to meet the same requirements under equal conditions. She highlighted extended producer-responsibility rules, which cover waste generated by products and their packaging, as an example of the difficulties businesses face.

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quite fragmented

She also argued that e-commerce platforms help Spanish companies expand internationally without having to build their own commercial infrastructure in each of the EU’s 27 countries. Spain, she said, is a “very important” market for Shein. The company has offices and dedicated teams in Madrid and Barcelona, while more than 1,000 sellers already market products through its platform in Spain and other European markets.

The comments came as Shein made an anticipated stock-market debut in Hong Kong. Its shares opened at 48.56 Hong Kong dollars, the price set for about 280 million shares, then fell as much as 10% before moderating to a 4% decline by the midday break. The company’s valuation had already fallen 73% from its 2022 peak after years of delayed and abandoned plans.

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very important