Discount retailer cops safety charges

123The Commerce Commission has filed 28 charges against discount retailer, The 123 Mart Limited relating to 10 children’s toys and five clothing items it sold between April 2013 and June 2016.

The Commission has alleged that the toys did not meet the mandatory product safety standard for children’s toys, and posed a choking hazard to children 36 months and under.

123 Mart has pleaded not guilty to all of the Fair Trading Act 1986 charges. The majority of the charges (23) relate to toys, one charge relates to children’s nightwear, and four relate to other clothing.

The charge relating to the children’s nightwear alleges that 123 Mart failed to attach fire danger labels to children’s sleeping pants and breached a product safety standard.

The remaining four charges allege that 123 Mart failed to attach care labelling, country of origin clothing labelling and fibre content labelling about the content of the product in breach of the consumer information standards.

The retail chain has since withdrawn all the toys and clothing from sale.

123 Mart operates 59 retail stores throughout New Zealand specialising in low-cost consumer products including toys, costumes and cosmetics. It started operating in New Zealand in 1995 and has shops under four different brands; The 123 Mart, Dollar Store 123, King Dollar Store and Max!Out.

 

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