Anged, the employers’ association that brings together companies such as El Corte Inglés, Ikea, Carrefour or Leroy Merlin, criticizes Chinese e-commerce platforms and asks for legal tools to block their activity when it becomes clear that they are committing violations.
According to the association, this is something that is produced without consequences. “I cannot imagine anyone trading in Spain who repeatedly sells illegal, dangerous or defective products and being left with nothing. There must be some legal recourse so that they can be expelled from the market, in case of non-compliance with these platforms,” explained Anged’s president, Matilde García Duarte, in an interview with the media.
The Spanish business owner transferred to Spain the controversy that began in France over these platforms last month, after the authorities of that country stopped access to the “Sheen” website for selling sex toys that resemble girls. This time, the Plenipotentiary Council of the Casino Distribution Group has publicly requested a blockade of Temu or Shein for the years until European legislation is completed.
In the Spanish case, the employer of El Corte Inglés does not directly demand the suspension of the activity of these platforms, but only “restricts them when it is clear that they do not comply with the standards.” According to García Duarte, the problem is that this investigative work is not being carried out by the competent authorities. “We demand that compliance be strengthened. So that the National Commission for Market and Competitiveness (CNMC) and consumer associations can carry out a real investigation,” says the Anged president, who also demands more measures for the tax authority in its inspections at customs entry points. “But during these lockdowns, it’s a critical moment because Christmas and Black Friday are coming.”
Anged estimates that 400 million parcels worth less than €150 arrive in Spain every year from Asian e-commerce platforms. At the European level, the number reaches 4,600 million. Currently, these packages have a tax break that will disappear from 2026, despite the insufficient number of employers in the main distribution companies.
According to Marketplace Universe data collected by Anged, Spain is the first European country to penetrate Shein (52.6%) and Aliexpress (72.5%), and second for Temu (25.7%).
In addition, Spain is the country where Chinese platforms have the highest share of online orders, at 34% by volume and 13% by value. The next country is Italy, with a 14% share by volume and 6% by value, according to NIQ data for the first half of 2024. Since 2019, the number of shipments from Asia-Pacific to Spain has tripled, according to CNMC. Shein is the number one operator in Fast fashion Online in Spain with high market share, according to NIQ; It has 12.6 million monthly users. And every day seven Internet users come to Aliexpress
“Spain is a strategic country for Chinese platforms,” concludes Angid, who currently rules out legal action against these platforms, as they are already promoting associations in France due to unfair competition, deceptive practices, security failures and gaps in data protection. A study conducted by several European associations, including the Spanish OCU, revealed that of the 162 articles analyzed by Shein and Temu, more than 65% contained violations and 25% were classified as potentially dangerous. There are elements such as dangerous levels of heavy metals in clothing and jewelry; Toys that may cause children to choke; Incomplete information about the composition of cosmetics, or dangerous electric heaters.
Anged’s president said he referred the problem to the Ministry of Industry, although he said he did not transfer the file. García Duarte rejects the imposition of measures such as municipal taxes, “because in the end they will pay for the consumer. We are defending a legal instrument within the European Union so that countries can close a website if it works irregularly,” he said.