Round-up | NEWS
Which? calls for ‘fi re-risk’ fridges to be removed from sale
CONSUMER champion Which? has issued a warning to consumers to avoid buying plastic-backed fridges and freezers still on sale that may not conform to new safety standards that came into force last month. The consumer body has been calling for a change to safety standards since 2017 and has carried out its own tests by setting fridges alight.
It found that a metal-backed fridge was able to contain the spread of fi re for longer than a plastic-backed one. The London Fire Brigade also
warned of the possible dangers of plastic backing materials after the Grenfell Tower blaze in London. Of course some manufacturers
have already switched to using metal backing materials of their own volition, but Which? is concerned about the number of plastic-backed fridges and freezers that may still be for sale in stores. Which? refers to the new tests as “effectively banning” these fi re-risk
models from being manufactured. In reality, what has changed is that the test, which previously used a glow wire to assess fi re resistance, now requires a product to withstand a naked fl ame for 30 seconds. Previous tests of metal-backed fridges showed that none caught fi re after 30 seconds. There is in fact no legal restriction on
retailers selling old stock that passed the previous standard and this is what Which? wants to address by calling for them to be taken off sale. The Offi ce for Product Safety and
Standards, said Which?, had not confi rmed whether any measures were in place to ban the ongoing sale of products already in the retailers. The consumer body said it felt this was “unacceptable”.
Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said: “These fi re-risk products have been banned in the US for years, so new standards that will ensure they can no longer be manufactured for sale in the UK are long overdue. But it is deeply concerning that retailers may continue to sell these potentially dangerous models for many months to get rid of existing stock. Retailers with any stock that was produced to the old standard should make the safety of their customers the number one priority and take them off sale immediately.” However, talking to BBC online, white-goods manufacturers association Amdea said it was “misleading to infer they are dangerous”.
Amdea acting chief executive Sian Lewis said: “It is disappointing that the public is being unnecessarily alarmed by a routine safety upgrade and there is no reason that the existing stock should not be sold.”
Blum pushes sales to €1.89 billion despite ‘subdued’ western Europe
AUSTRIAN FITTINGS specialist Blum has increased performance” in western Europe. Managing director Philipp Blum said: “There are global signs of a slowdown in the dynamic growth of previous years,” citing uncertainty over Brexit in the UK and the “reignited trade confl ict between the USA and China”. But he added: “Blum will approach the new business year
with restrained optimism and will focus on ongoing innovation, market development and close customer relationships.” The company said that 48% of its sales were to Europe and 15% to the USA, although it sells through more than
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120 countries worldwide. It said that the market had been positive for the past fi nancial year in central and eastern Europe, with “satisfactory” results in the Asia Pacifi c region, where it achieved “good growth” year on year. Philipp Blum also pointed to its employees as a key factor in its success. And as proof of that, Blum increased its staff headcount by 372 to 7,383 over the year before and will be training 384 apprentices worldwide from this autumn – 363 of those at its main production site in Vorarlberg and at Blum USA.
In the 2018/19 fi nancial year, Blum said it had invested €242m in the business. It has completed the new stamping centre in Dornbirn and an extension to its plant in Bregenz, where it also intends to add a new 49,000sq m production bay by summer 2021.
The company has also extended its plant in Poland and has bought a new plot of land next to its facility in China.
Fraudster fi ned for £130k kitchen and bathroom scam
A CON ARTIST who duped his kitchens and bathrooms he had no intention to supply was found guilty by Harrow Crown Court and He was brought to justice after an investigation by Brent and Harrow Trading Standards into more than 40 complaints across south-east London. Harrow Crown Court ordered Adahm Seikh, 50, from Luton, to pay a £59,354 penalty and handed him a 98-week prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service. Seikh has offered to refund £76,000 to customers after he pleaded guilty to the offences.
Seikh operated under the names of Amazing Kitchens and Home Improvement World and touted for business in the foyers at Tesco supermarkets. The trickster had no intention of supplying any kitchens or bathrooms to his victims and when he failed to deliver, he is said to have offered excuses such as a warehouse fl ood and being hit on the head by a cricket ball.
Seikh is also said to have faked customer testimonials and threatened those of his victims who become suspicious. Harrow councillor Varsha Parmar said of the scam: “This is what we do to rogue traders - we make sure they pay for their crime.”
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