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last mo.

BHV Marais Sold to Management, Ends Shein Partnership

The sale is intended to restore customers and repair ties with brands by refocusing the Paris store on home and DIY, rebuilding operations, and offering staff a stake.

Rayons du BHV Marais en janvier dernier. La SGM, cofondée par Frédéric Merlin, a annoncé mardi 16 juin 2026 céder le fonds de commerce du BHV Marais à « l’équipe dirigeante » du grand magasin parisien.
Image
Censée relancer les ventes du BHV Marais, l’ouverture d’un espace Shein au sixième étage du grand magasin, début novembre, avait déclenché un scandale politique et médiatique sans précédent.
Facade du grand magasin BHV Marais à Paris le 18 mars 2026.

Overview

  • SGM transferred the BHV Marais business to a management‑led buyer called Kargence headed by Karl‑Stéphane Cottendin, a deal that also covers the Parly 2 store and was announced on June 16.
  • The new leadership has declared the Shein experiment a strategic error and said the Paris Shein corner will be closed, with the exit date to be negotiated and the team hoping for a departure by Christmas.
  • Shein’s arrival at BHV in November 2025 provoked political and media backlash, prompted prestige brands to leave, and triggered regulatory scrutiny of the platform.
  • The Paris store has suffered falling footfall, supplier complaints about unpaid invoices, broken escalators and roughly 40% of sales space closed, and the new owners say they will prioritise settling debts, repairing infrastructure and restoring services.
  • Provincial BHV shops remain under SGM control so existing Shein corners outside Paris are not part of the sale, and the management team will need to negotiate exit terms with Shein and the building owner Brookfield.