The Consumer Protection Council (CPC) has sanctioned Shoprite, a South African major departmental store in Nigeria, for displaying expired products in some of its outlets in Lagos. It also commended Nigerian consumers for getting more proactive and cautious in their purchases.
CPC, in the course of the surveillance and enforcement operation, said that it discovered that the departmental store displayed expired products and in-house packaged edible products without expiry dates, pointing out that the affected range of products included pastries, chicken, cheese, pepper, vegetables, and sea foods.
The agency has subsequently removed all the affected products, stating that, given the seriousness of the offence and the dangers it posed to undiscerning consumers, punitive actions were being taken against the departmental store, even though its management expressed deep regrets over the development, claiming it was a mistake.
To forestall a similar occurrence in other major retail shops, CPC has invited the management of major departmental shops from across the country to a meeting with a view to making its position and commitment on consumer protection known to them and to encourage them to self-regulate.
Meanwhile, Ify Umenyi, Director General of the Council, has commended Nigerian consumers for their increased visible rejection of actions and situations capable of undermining their consumer rights, saying recent interactions in the social media on the action of the departmental store and that of a mobile network provider, which wiped away consumers’ credits in phones were good examples that must be maintained.
Umenyi enjoined consumers to realise that the prime position of being the king in the market-place would only be realistic when at all times they speak out whenever their rights are being trampled upon, assuring that CPC would always be a reliable platform to seek redress.
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