The CEO of British supermarket chain Sainsbury's, Simon Roberts, has called for the closure of a UK tax loophole that benefits foreign e-commerce platforms like Shein.

Under current UK tax regulations, individuals can order parcels worth less than £135 ($170) from overseas without incurring customs duty. The equivalent threshold in the EU is €150.

"All retailers should be working on the same basis," Roberts stated during a press conference following Sainsbury's trading update. Sainsbury's, which generates a quarter of its sales from non-food categories, seeks to ensure a level playing field for all businesses. "I want to make sure that the loopholes that are currently in place are closed for some of the businesses that aren't paying tax in the right way," Roberts emphasized.

Other prominent UK retail figures, including Theo Paphitis, chairman and owner of Ryman and Robert Dyas, and Simon Wolfson, CEO of Next, have also urged the UK government to review and address the loophole.

Adding to the urgency, Shein recently confidentially filed papers with Britain's market regulator, according to sources, initiating the process for a potential London listing later this year. Photo by Snowmanradio~commonswiki, Wikimedia commons.