City Beach is facing legal proceedings for allegedly selling products containing button batteries that may be dangerous for young children.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), City Beach offered for sale 70 product lines containing non-compliant button batteries between June 22, 2022 and October 24, 2024.
Moreover, the surf, skatewear and accessories retailer allegedly supplied 57,358 individual non-compliant button battery products.
The product lines included toys, digital notepads, keyrings, lights and light-up Jibbitz accessories for Crocs shoes.
“We are taking this action because, we allege, City Beach exposed consumers to the risks associated with button batteries and failed to inform them of these risks,” Catriona Lowe, ACCC Deputy Chair, said.
“Button batteries are incredibly dangerous for young children, and tragically in some cases have led to serious injuries or death when swallowed, inserted or ingested.”
The ACCC noted that City Beach received warnings from NSW Fair Trading and Queensland Office of Fair Trading in 2022 and 2023 related to the supply of potentially non-compliant button battery products.
“The standards have been in existence since 2020, in effect since 2022 and have been the subject of escalating compliance and enforcement work by Australian Consumer Law regulators, including the ACCC,” Lowe said.
“There is simply no excuse for non-compliance and we will not hesitate to take strong enforcement action against businesses that do not comply with these important and potentially life-saving standards.”
City Beach is conducting a voluntary recall of the products, requesting customers to return the items for a full refund.