Latest news with #PandaMart
Otago Daily Times
16-05-2025
- Business
- Otago Daily Times
More unsafe children's products found at Panda Mart
The Panda Mart store in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Vera Jiang The Commerce Commission has identified seven more children's products it considers unsafe as part of its ongoing investigation into bargain store Panda Mart. The items - a baby walker, doll, smartphone toy, fairy cake toy, sunscreen product and two car toys - have been added to a list of 40 children's goods the commission declared to be unsafe in December. Recall notices have been issued for the 47 items sold in Panda Mart's stores in Auckland and Christchurch. The commission has made "legally binding commitments" with Panda Mart for the first time, meaning the outlet needed to halt sales of the products identified or any similar or new products that could be unsafe. "If Panda Mart breaks these commitments, the commission may take court action," a spokesperson from the agency said. "This is to protect consumers while our investigation continues and should reduce the sale of further unsafe goods." The previous list included 11 kinds of walkers, seven kinds of bikes, various kinds of toys, sunscreen products and hot water bags. The unsafe products were deemed to be non-complaint with the product safety standard or an unsafe goods notice. The commission said Panda Mart stopped the sale of the specific products mentioned in the recall late last year but continued to sell similar products. The 47 products listed on the commission's website were no longer sold by Panda Mart, the commission said. Panda Mart products that have been identified as unsafe by the Commerce Commission. Photo: Supplied / Commerce Commission Recall notices on some of these products can be found on the government's Product Safety website, which shows several non-child products were also being recalled, including a gardening tool, an extension cord and three different kinds of table lamps. Vanessa Horne, general manager of competition, fair trading and credit at the commission, said the agency was continuing to investigate the business. "We are actively monitoring this situation and continue to be concerned about the safety of products sold at Panda Mart," Horne said. "One of the commission's enduring priorities is to prioritise product safety issues that are within our regime which have the potential to cause serious harm to consumers, particularly children." Panda Mart has also come to the attention of the Australian government, with a public warning against it being issued in March. Thousands of products, including children's make-up sets, birthday cards, glitter balls and bike helmets, were considered failing to "meet mandatory product safety and information standards, including items that could be dangerous", according to Consumer Affairs Victoria. RNZ has approached Panda Mart for comment.
RNZ News
16-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
More unsafe children's products found at Panda Mart
The Panda Mart store in Christchurch. Photo: Supplied / Vera Jiang The Commerce Commission has identified seven more children's products it considers unsafe as part of its ongoing investigation into bargain store Panda Mart. The items - a baby walker, doll, smartphone toy, fairy cake toy, sunscreen product and two car toys - have been added to a list of 40 children's goods the commission declared to be unsafe in December . Recall notices have been issued for the 47 items sold in Panda Mart's stores in Auckland and Christchurch. The commission has made "legally binding commitments" with Panda Mart for the first time, meaning the outlet needed to halt sales of the products identified or any similar or new products that could be unsafe. "If Panda Mart breaks these commitments, the commission may take court action," a spokesperson from the agency said. "This is to protect consumers while our investigation continues and should reduce the sale of further unsafe goods." Panda Mart products that have been identified as unsafe by the Commerce Commission. Photo: Supplied / Commerce Commission The previous list included 11 kinds of walkers, seven kinds of bikes, various kinds of toys, sunscreen products and hot water bags. The unsafe products were deemed to be non-complaint with the product safety standard or an unsafe goods notice. The commission said Panda Mart stopped the sale of the specific products mentioned in the recall late last year but continued to sell similar products. The 47 products listed on the commission's website were no longer sold by Panda Mart, the commission said. Recall notices on some of these products can be found on the government's Product Safety website , which shows several non-child products were also being recalled, including a gardening tool, an extension cord and three different kinds of table lamps. Vanessa Horne, general manager of competition, fair trading and credit at the commission, said the agency was continuing to investigate the business. "We are actively monitoring this situation and continue to be concerned about the safety of products sold at Panda Mart," Horne said. "One of the commission's enduring priorities is to prioritise product safety issues that are within our regime which have the potential to cause serious harm to consumers, particularly children." Panda Mart has also come to the attention of the Australian government, with a public warning against it being issued in March. Thousands of products, including children's make-up sets, birthday cards, glitter balls and bike helmets, were considered failing to "meet mandatory product safety and information standards, including items that could be dangerous", according to Consumer Affairs Victoria . RNZ has approached Panda Mart for comment.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Warning about ‘deadly' homewares product
Consumers who bought a lamp from Melbourne retailer Panda Mart have been told to 'stop using it immediately' because it could kill people. Energy Safe Victoria issued an urgent safety warning after compliance officers found exposed wires on the lamps could cause an electric shock or death by electrocution if touched when the light was on. Authorities found some of the lamps had wiring covers that could be easily removed, while others had exposed wires and access to live parts when they inspected the store on Wednesday. Unsafe study desks with socket outlets that also have the potential to expose live parts were also discovered in the store. Energy Safe chief executive officer Leanne Hughson said anyone who bought a table lamp from the Cranbourne store since it opened in February should immediately stop using it. 'I cannot emphasise how important this is. These lamps are potentially deadly,' she said. 'All household mains-operated electrical products sold in Victoria should carry the regulatory compliance mark. This mark indicates that the product meets safety standards.' It's the second consumer warning that has been issued about the retailer in eight days after authorities raided the store in Melbourne's south earlier this month. Hundreds of potentially life-threatening toys, baby rattles and cosmetics were seized from the store for failing to meet safety standards. Consumer Affairs Victoria director Nicole Rich said businesses had an obligation to ensure the items they sold met safety standards and did not pose a danger to the public. 'We know many Victorians are looking for bargains when they're shopping given the cost of living, but they shouldn't have to worry about picking up dangerous products at the same time, especially ones for babies and kids,' she said. Panda Mart originated in South Africa and sells more than 50,000 cheap household products that are mostly sourced from China. The store aims to be cheaper than other low-cost retailers like Kmart. Panda Mart has been contacted for comment but indicated to authorities that they would stop selling the table lamps and remove the socket outlets from the desks. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'Urgent' warning over new Aussie discount store after 'nightmare' opening: Stop using immediately'
Australian shoppers looking to pick up a bargain at the newly-opened Panda Mart in Melbourne have been urged to stay away. Hundreds of people lined up for hours to get a look inside the massive Cranbourne warehouse, with some saying it's like stepping into a real-life Temu store. It was so busy on opening day last weekend that the police were called to handle the crowds. But Consumer Affairs Victoria has issued an "urgent" warning about some of the products available for purchase. "Our inspectors have last night and today seized thousands of products we believe fail to meet mandatory product safety and information standards, including items that could be dangerous," it said. Temu issues major recall for dangerous item: 'Destroy it' ATO issues letters to Australian businesses impacted by 'massive' payment change: 'From April 1' Supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles on notice in push to ban price gouging: 'Robbing you at the till' The regulatory body said some of the products present an injury hazard, like a projectile, or present a choking or strangulation hazard, or fail to meet other safety standards, like cosmetics. One of the bigger concerns was around some of the toys and baby rattles that had button batteries that were inadequately secured or labelled. Consumer Affairs said that if you had bought any items from Panda Mart, you needed to "stop using them immediately and return them to the store for a refund"."We know many Victorians are looking for bargains when they're shopping given the cost of living, but they shouldn't have to worry about picking up dangerous products at the same time, especially ones for babies and kids," Consumer Affairs Victoria Director Nicole Rich said. "We've responded quickly to take action and remove these products from the shelves – but it's up to businesses to understand the law, and not stock them in the first place." Panda Mart has been billed as one of the biggest $2 stores you'll ever find in Australia. It has dozens of aisles stocked with every type of product you could imagine, from clothing to homewares, toys to electronics. There are more than 50,000 products on offer. The hype was so intense on the weekend opening that people started pushing and shoving each other. Staff had to shut the doors at one point to manage the antsy crowd in what was described as a "nightmare" and a "stampede". 'We apologise for the recent crowding in our store, which may have impacted your shopping experience,' Panda Mart said. 'To improve safety and comfort, we're actively managing customer flow by increasing staff, implementing crowd control, and streamlining checkout.' Panda Mart started in South Africa and has since expanded to the US, South America and New Zealand. It has plans to open a second Melbourne store in Preston.
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chaotic scenes at Temu-style discount shop
Chaos has broken out after a highly-anticipated discount store opened in Melbourne, resulting in the store shutting its doors and calling in the police to help control the crowd. Described as a Temu-style store, Panda Mart is a discount retailer known for its huge selection of homewares and everyday goods at heavily discounted prices. The retailer first began in South Africa and opened the doors of its first Australian store in Cranbourne in Melbourne's southeast on Thursday, with more than 50,000 items on offer. Hundreds of people lined up for more than two hours on the opening day, with the queue extending into the street and around the corner. Shoppers began filming eager customers, who began pushing and shoving the doors to try and get access to the discount items for sale. At one point, the chaos became so intense that staff had to shut the doors to stop people from coming inside, with some describing the scenes as the 'stuff of nightmares'. Police were also required to attend the scene to control the throng of eager shoppers. The doors re-opened the following day, flanked with security as a safety precaution. 'We apologise for the recent crowding in our store, which may have impacted your shopping experience,' the store said in a statement. 'To improve safety and comfort, we're actively managing customer flow by increasing staff, implementing crowd control, and streamlining checkout.' Shoppers were shocked by the chaotic scenes at the retailer's opening event, some likening it to a 'stampede'. 'The surge in customers was outrageous,' a person said online. 'A lot of arguments and people shouting at each other.' The pandemonium continued once the shoppers were inside the store, leaving a path of destruction as they explored the shop. Thousands of items, including bedding, flowers, footwear and other homewares were left ripped out of their packaging and scattered across the floor, which was slammed by others online. 'People were being so disgusting, just throwing stuff on the floor or knocking it off and leaving it,' an angry shopper wrote. 'So much pushing and shoving, (it) was awful and worse in the car park.' There are currently Panda Mart stores open in the US, South America and New Zealand, with plans to open a second store in Preston. NewsWire has contacted Panda Mart for comment.
