Watchdog hunts down quality problems at big-name stores
IKEA, Hola, JD.com, Toread and Carrefour were among the latest batch of companies punished by Shanghai's market supervision authorities, according to official notices posted online.
The Shanghai home furnishing store Hola was fined 50,000 yuan (US$7,092) by the market watchdog of Putuo District for fake and misleading commercial promotions.
The wood used on some wooden chopsticks sold at three Hola outlets, namely the Bailian Zhonghuan Shopping Mall, Wujiaochang and Xinsong, did not match their product label, the Putuo District Administration for Market Regulation said.
Shanghai Toread Outdoor Products Co Ltd was fined 19,755 yuan by the Xuhui District Administration for Market Regulation after a batch of women's shoes sold at its online store on yhd.com failed quality tests for wear resistance on the sole, according to the Xuhui administration.
The company was ordered to stop sales of the substandard products as well.
IKEA's Shanghai business was fined more than 4,000 yuan after disposable spoons and forks it provided free to consumers failed quality tests, according to the Xuhui District market watchdog.
The company purchased 40 boxes of the substandard dishware in total, each with 2,000 spoons or forks, and all unused substandard items have been destroyed by the company after the incident, the administration said.
The Caoying outlet of Carrefour in Qingpu District was also fined for selling substandard children's scooters, which failed multiple quality and product tests, according to the district market watchdog.
E-commerce company JD.com was fined 10,000 yuan for marking "non-GMO" on peanut oil sold on its platform as there are no such things as genetically modified peanut processed products, the Jiading District Administration for Market Regulation said. The company was also ordered to halt sales of the products.
The products violated China's advertisement law and the company was ordered to stop publishing illegal ads, according to the administration.