Hamleys, Archies and WHSmith toys seized for lack of BIS quality mark

The outlets of several brands, including Hamleys, Archies, and WH Smith, were raided during a Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) enforcement drive against companies selling products allegedly without certification.

In total, 249 toys were seized from Reliance-owned Hamleys stores. Around 118 toys were confiscated from Archies stores and 65 from ones of WH Smith.

In the past month, the BIS conducted 44 raids in various locations and seized 18,629 toys. Raids were conducted in Ambala, Dehradun, Surat, Vadodara, Madurai, Jammu & Kashmir, and West Bengal. 

“In the first phase, we are targeting only big retailers either at airports or major malls. Around 18,600 toys have been seized from these 44 raids,” said Pramod Kumar Tiwari, director general, BIS, during a press conference. “Our idea is to create awareness among sellers and the consumers that selling uncertified products will not be allowed,” he added. 

According to BIS officials, the traders violated Section 16 and 17 of the Toys (Quality Control) Order, 2016. Last year in January, the BIS had mandated certification marks to prevent the sale of low-quality products and asked companies to print the marks on the goods to be imported, sold, stored, or exhibited for sale.

On non-compliance with quality standards, a penalty will be imposed on manufacturers. However, retailers and wholesalers too will be held accountable.

Moreover, the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) has issued notices to e-commerce entities Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal for selling toys in alleged violation of standards laid down by the Central government.

“We have sent notices to Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal and have asked for their responses within seven days for selling toys without BIS certification,” Nidhi Khare, additional secretary, ministry of consumer affairs, told reporters.

In an emailed response to Business Standard, Flipkart said, “Flipkart is a marketplace committed to democratising e-commerce for all in India and enabling lakhs of small businesses to connect with customers through technology. As part of our customer-first philosophy, maintaining the quality of products that sellers offer on our marketplace has always been the top focus area. We remain committed to ensuring the highest quality of products sold on the platform. We have received notification from CCPA and will respond appropriately.”

Queries to Amazon, Snapdeal, and Hamleys remained unanswered till the time of going to press. On Thursday, the CCPA held a meeting with companies including Amazon, Flipkart, and Snapdeal.

Another official said: “The entities have raised the point that there is no mechanism to verify the authenticity of licences provided by the sellers.” Within 15 days, an API (application programming interface) system will be activated by which e-commerce platforms can verify BIS licences of their sellers. API will be developed by the standards authority along with the technical teams of e-commerce companies.

“The moment sellers make their declaration of BIS licences on these platforms, API will allow these platforms to check automatically and, if found invalid, sellers will be stopped from selling their products,” said Tiwari.

Moreover, in a joint operation, the BIS will formulate joint groups along with the customs department for verifying BIS certification on foreign consignments coming to India. The CCPA has expanded a country-wide campaign to prevent sales of spurious and counterfeit goods that violate Quality Control Orders (QCOs) published by the Centre to include consumer durables such as electric immersion water heaters, electric irons, domestic gas stoves, microwave ovens, and sewing machines.

In this regard, the CCPA has written to district collectors across India to investigate unfair trade practices and violations of consumer rights concerning the manufacture or sale of such goods and submit an action taken report to the authority.

Queries sent to companies including Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, and Hamleys remained unanswered till the time of going to press.