Shanghai Gucci store finds fakes in inventory
A Gucci boutique in Shanghai’s Jing’an district was recently forced to seek support from local police after a spot check found multiple fake leather handbags in its inventory.
Following an investigation, a former store associate has been detained on suspicion of embezzlement.
The ex-employee is believed to have stolen around five genuine articles from among the boutique’s stock, only to resell them via resale platforms for thousands of yuan cheaper than the recommended retail price. They reportedly swapped out the official merchandise for counterfeit bags, which were then held in the boutique’s inventory.
Reports from within the country suggest that the suspect had made in excess of ¥57,000 (approximately $8,900) from their dealings since May.
The notion that an international luxury brand store had unknowingly stocked fake handbags for a period has been met with much shock (and some ridicule) in China.
According to luxury business news outlet Jing Daily, the hashtag related to the story had been viewed over 430 million times on local social media platform Weibo as of November 12.
