Panda Mart confirmed it would be closed from 9am on Wednesday and expected to reopen by 9am on Saturday. (Source: Yahoo Finance)
Popular discount store Panda Mart has been forced to stop trading at its two Melbourne stores for 72 hours after the consumer watchdog discovered hundreds of illegal items on shelves.
Described as “Temu in real life”, Panda Mart launched in Australia earlier this year, with its Cranbourne and later Preston stores selling more than 50,000 heavily discounted products.
Consumer Affairs Victoria revealed it had been granted a court injunction to stop the warehouse store from trading. It said an inspection of both stores last week identified several items of concern, including banned candles with flammable contents next to the wick, toys with unsecured button batteries, choking hazards, and flotation devices without adequate warnings.
The injunction means both stores will need to be closed for 72 hours from 9am today, while product safety inspectors conduct a full compliance inspection to find, seize and remove non-compliant items.
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Consumer Affairs Victoria director Nicole Rich said most items sold at the Preston store during inspections in September had met safety standards, but recent inspections of both stores revealed shelves were refilled with non-compliant items.
“It’s particularly disappointing that Panda Mart appears to have gone from meeting their obligations to restocking their shelves with products that pose a serious danger to the public,” she said.
“These items are banned or heavily regulated for a reason. Flammable candles, button batteries and toys with small parts that can cause choking are all known killers.”
In March, Consumer Affairs Victoria issued a public warning to consumers after it found thousands of products were being sold at the Cranbourne store that failed to meet mandatory safety and information standards.
“Every business is responsible for ensuring that the products they sell are safe. Being ignorant is no excuse,” Rich said.
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The South African discount chain was established in 2010 and sources most of its products from China’s export manufacturing hub of Yiwu.
It sells a range of toys, homewares, sporting goods and beauty products, with suitcases for $40, barbeques for $160 and earphones for just $1.50.
It drew huge crowds to its store openings, with police even called in to control a crowd of around 1,000 people on the opening weekend of its Cranbourne store.
Panda Mart grew huge crowds to its Cranbourne store opening earlier this year. (Source: Newswire)
Speaking to Yahoo Finance following the opening of its Preston store, a Panda Mart spokesperson said the retailer planned to expand further.
“What we can share is that we are actively looking at cities and locations that align with Panda Mart’s growth potential,” the spokesperson said.
“This doesn’t just apply to Australia, our ambition is to expand internationally and bring the Panda Mart experience to communities worldwide.”
Panda Mart has issued a temporary closure notice to customers, saying it expects to reopen no later than Saturday at 9am.
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