Trading standards officers seize £100,000 of counterfeit goods from American candy shops
Trading standards officers at Westminster City Council have seized over £100,000 worth of counterfeit or illegal goods from American candy shops on London’s Oxford Street this week.
The haul included 2,246 counterfeit Wonka Bars, 2,838 disposable vapes, 223 toys with no safety labels, 1,393 counterfeit mobile phone and more. Other products included counterfeit Rolex watches and Apple iPods.
In a tweet, Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, said landlords in the shopping district need to take a more responsible approach to the businesses they let their stores to.
He added: “We also need greater transparency in company ownership with further reforms for Companies House – the upcoming Economic Crime Bill 2 can help with that. The government also needs to properly resource Companies House, HMRC and other agencies to take action to deliver.”
Westminster Council said it has seized over £500,000 of counterfeit or illegal goods from sweet shops and souvenir retail outlets in the area so far.
Authorities are also currently investigating 30 “US candy themed” stores for business rates evasion.
