MALM Day 8 July 4 Report

Monday, July 4

1. Chinese consumers require IKEA recall

   Jul 4, 2016 | CRI English

   By Zhang Shuai
   
   
   Syndicated Coverage: Info Europa - http://info-europa.com/uncategorized/chinese-consumers-require-ikea-recall/6300 CCTV.com - http://english.cctv.com/2016/07/04/VIDELt1ZABcF0nMLoXAKtBb5160704.shtml ECNS.cn - http://www.ecns.cn/business/2016/07-04/216708.shtml China.org.cn - http://www.china.org.cn/business/2016-07/04/content_38803279.htm
2. Ikea ordered to submit recall plan for dressers

   Jul 4, 2016 | The Korea Times

   By Jhoo Dong-chan
   
   
3. Qatar instructs IKEA to recall

   Jul 4, 2016 | Arabian Business
4. 4 Things You Should Never Buy at Ikea

   Jul 4, 2016 | Money and Career Cheat Sheet

   By Megan Elliot
   
   

Sunday, July 3

5. Recall Alert: Ikea, Gold Medal flour and Cumberland Farms

   Jul 3, 2016 | KFOX14

   By Meghan Lopez
   
   
6. Bellmore boy hurt by recalled Ikea dresser

   Jul 3, 2016 | Ecommerce-Journal

   By Melissa Porter
   
   

Tuesday, June 28

7. Ikea recalls millions of Malm dressers after several U.S. children killed

   Jun 28, 2016 | CBC News

   By Pete Evans
   
   
   Syndicated Coverage: News Furniture - http://www.breakingnewsb.tk/ikea-recalls-millions-of-malm-dressers-after-several-us-children-killed-cbc-ca/
8. Ikea recalls 36 mln chests, dressers after six deaths

   Jun 28, 2016 | Reuters

   By Ian Simpson
   
   
   Syndicated Coverage: WWNT Radio - http://wwntradio.com/2016/07/03/ikea-recalls-36m-chests-dressers-after-six-deaths.html

Monday, July 4

1. Chinese consumers require IKEA recall

   Jul 4, 2016 | CRI English

   By Zhang Shuai

   Many Chinese consumers are complaining over Swedish furniture maker IKEA's decision to exclude the Chinese market from a massive recall plan.

   But the manufacturer says a recall is not necessary in China as the product in question meets all design standards in the country.

   While more than 35 million dressers are being recalled from North America, the very same IKEA model is still being sold in Guangzhou.

   The recall was launched after six children in the United States and Canada lost their lives in tipping and entrapment incidents associated with the dressers.

   But consumers in China and Europe are not in the plan.

   Xiang Li, marketing manager of the company's branch in Guangzhou, explains why.

   "This model is sold not only in China, but also in other regions outside the United States. It's also sold in European Union countries. This product meets the mandatory safety requirements of EU and our country."

   Installation instructions on how to attach chests of drawers and dressers to the walls are seen in IKEA's Guangzhou store.

   The manager says the installation accessories are included when purchasing the product.

   She strongly urges consumers to follow the proposed steps during assembly.

   "If one follows the instruction to install the product, it's safe. In fact, our packaging specification repeatedly emphasizes the steps of anchoring. If required by the consumers, we will resort to a third party to provide them with paid installation services."

   But such precaution is not enough to calm down local consumers.

   "They should use larger labels to remind parents because many of them can't be aware of such a problem."
   In North America, the recall covers chests of drawers and dressers which do not meet the performance requirements of the U.S. voluntary industry standards.

   The company is offering a full or partial refund between 70 and 200 U.S. dollars on chests of drawers and dressers sold from 2002 through last month.

   So far, the municipal Consumer Council in Shenzhen has appealed to IKEA to extend the same recall to China.

   It argues that IKEA should not discriminate against Chinese consumers.

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2. Ikea ordered to submit recall plan for dressers

   Jul 4, 2016 | The Korea Times

   By Jhoo Dong-chan

   A state agency has ordered Ikea to submit a voluntary recall plan for its MALM dresser that allegedly killed six children in the United States when the dresser toppled over and fell on them.
   
   Ikea excluded Korea from its recall plan despite recalling the same product in the U.S. and Canada.
   
   However, the Korea Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS), a standards watchdog in charge of home appliances and trade under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said it has ordered Ikea Korea to submit the present distribution and a recall plan for the problematic furniture to the agency, citing the Product Safety Law Article 1. 
   
   Under the law, global distribution companies operating in Korea are required to report to the related agency when their products are recalled for defects abroad. 
   
   KATS said it will conduct a safety inspection of the MALM dresser and impose administrative measures if the local affiliate of the furniture distributor does not follow the governmental request. 
   
   A total of 41 accidents have been reported, with six children being killed, involving the MALM dresser in the U.S. 
   
   Ikea decided to recall a total of 29 million MALM dressers in the U.S. and 6.6 million in Canada that were made between 2002 and January 2016. 
   
   Ikea officials will visit consumers' houses to provide fastening pins for the dresser or provide a full refund if requested. 
   
   The affected MALM dresser has also been sold in Korea, but no accidents have been reported here.
   
   An Ikea Korea official said Korea has been excluded from the initial recall plan for the MALM dresser because it addresses the issue in the product brochure and provides fastening pins for Korean consumers. 
   
   Founded in 1943 by then-17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad, Ikea is a Sweden-based furniture company that designs and sells ready-to-assemble furniture, appliances and home accessories. As of 2008, it is the world's largest furniture retailer.
   
   It started sales operations here in December 2014, opening the world's largest Ikea store in Gwangmyeong, Gyeonggi Province.

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3. Qatar instructs IKEA to recall

   Jul 4, 2016 | Arabian Business

   Qatar authorities have ordered Swedish furniture retailer IKEA to stop selling a particular model of chest of drawers in the country after the product was linked to the deaths of six children in the US and Canada.

   The Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC) published a notice on its website on Sunday forbidding the sale of MALM cupboards at IKEA’s Doha store and requesting that all such products are removed from the display hall.

   It listed six of the MALM models in different shapes and colours that are banned from sale “with immediate effect”. And it urged any customer who has bought the product to return to the store to swap it for another item or get a full refund.

   According to the statement, the decision was taken after the ministry confirmed the product in question was the same as that recalled in the North American market following the deaths of six children aged three or younger when the cupboards collapsed on them, according to reports from the US.

   The retailer announcement last Tuesday it would recall 29 million MALM dressers from the US market.

   However, it said it would not recall MALM furniture in the UAE’s IKEA stores and instead sought to reassure the public that it does not pose a safety risk to consumers when assembled according to the instructions provided.

   Qatar’s MEC said it had concluded that the product posed a serious threat to infants’ safety no matter how the cupboards are assembled.

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4. 4 Things You Should Never Buy at Ikea

   Jul 4, 2016 | Money and Career Cheat Sheet

   By Megan Elliot

   Furnishing a new home or apartment is expensive. Once you add up the cost of a few basics – a dresser, bed, couch, and dining table, for example – you could easily find yourself out a few thousand dollars. Unless you shop at Ikea, that is. The massive Swedish home furnishings retailer offers stylish, budget-friendly furniture and housewares to anyone willing to brave one of their labyrinthine stores. The crowds might be maddening and assembling items might be difficult, but when you’re able to outfit your entire apartment without breaking the bank (and pick up some fresh-baked cinnamon rolls while you’re at it), who’s going to complain?

   Ikea’s flat-packing method helps keep prices low, as does tricks like not using solid wood in much of its furniture (the popular Lack side table is actually filled with cardboard and air). The catch, of course, is that quality is sometimes commensurate with price. Furniture that looks great in the store doesn’t always wear well. A lack of durability or other quality issues may not be a huge problem if your Ikea purchases are a short-term solution, but it can be frustrating to haul home (and put together) an item that quickly falls apart, no matter how much you paid for it.

   Does that mean you need to eliminate Ikea from your shopping routine? Hardly. Old standbys like the Ribba picture frames and the Docksta table (a knockoff of the iconic Saarinen tulip table) are popular for a reason – they’re cheap, versatile, and attractive. But you do want to be smart about how you shop at Ikea so you can get your money’s worth. Here are four Ikea products you might want to avoid during your next trip to the big blue box.1. Dressers and chests of drawers

   Elliot Kaye, chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and CPSC employees watch as a 28-pound dummy falls over and under IKEA’s Malm model chest of drawers. | CARLOS HAMANN/AFP/Getty Images

   Ikea is recalling 29 million dressers and chests of drawers after at least three children died when furniture that was not anchored to the wall tipped over. The recall covers six models of Malm dressers sold between 2002 and 2016, as well as 21 million other dressers. Customers can either order a free wall-anchoring kit to safely secure their furniture or return it to the store for a full or partial refund. More information about the recall is available on the Ikea website.

   New models of Ikea dressers currently sold in stores meet Consumer Products Safety Commission guidelines, Ikea U.S. President Lars Petersson told NPR, but even redesigned dressers should be anchored to the wall. If you come across an older-model Ikea dresser for sale somewhere, don’t buy it, and if you purchase a new one, make sure you can attach it to the wall, especially if you have young children in your home.

   Safety issues combined with sub-par particleboard construction means dressers and similar items are not a great Ikea buy. If you do buy buy one of these pieces, they’re best for “areas where they won’t get a ton of everyday use, like a guest room,” said designer Jillian Grant Lavoie of J. Bean & Co.2. Soft furniture

   “When it comes to Ikea, you get what you paid for,” Victoria Stepanov, the founder of and lead designer for Sense of Space, an interior design firm based in Queens, New York, said. Though the chain’s couches, armchairs, and other soft furnishings are affordable, the quality matches the price point.

   “Those pieces are very poorly made and are overpriced for the quality you get,” Stepanov said. The one exception is the Söderhamn line of sectionals and chairs, which won’t “sag and squeak” like other Ikea products, she said. “That’s the only line of soft seating I’d recommend buying there.”

   Another item to skip at Ikea, according to Stepanov? Upholstered dining chairs. “An absolute no-no,” she said. “They’ll fall apart before your first dinner party!”3. Sheets and towels

   A woman sleeps on a bed in the showroom of the IKEA store in Beijing. | Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

   Ikea isn’t the best place to buy linens. Queen-size sheet sets may be a steal at under $50, but they won’t last long, warned Lavoie, and the towels aren’t much better.

   “In general, the textures are scratchy and the quality is subpar,” she said. “The sheets do soften up after a few washes, but at that point, they often start to look dingy and frayed.”

   If you’re trying to save money on sheets and towels, you’ll do better with products from Target’s Threshold Line, Lavoie said. For a splurge, she suggests opting for Parachute Home’s percale or linen sheet sets. “You spend about one-third of your life in bed, so I say go for the best bedding you can afford,” she added.

   Curtains are one fabric item at Ikea that is a good buy, Lavoie said, particularly the Ritva and Aina lines. “They’re surprisingly heavyweight, look far more expensive than they are, and are sold in pairs, which is not the case with most retail curtains,” she said.4. Algot closet system

   Custom closets aren’t cheap, so it’s tempting to turn to a more budget-friendly solution for organizing your clothes and shoes. But Ikea’s Algot system may not be your best bet. Though it’s fairly inexpensive and contains different components to adapt to your space, assembling it is a headache, Consumer Reports discovered when it tested the product in 2014. Putting together the unit took nearly three hours, compared to the hour or so it took to assemble other closet systems.

   “The directions are wrong, and it’s hard to achieve the correct spacing,” noted the magazine. “Screws aren’t included. Neither are wall anchors; we had to stop work and buy them. Drawers didn’t fit properly. A call to Ikea proved unhelpful. The upright width was listed wrong, and we had to re-drill. And the baskets didn’t roll back and forth smoothly.”

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Sunday, July 3

5. Recall Alert: Ikea, Gold Medal flour and Cumberland Farms

   Jul 3, 2016 | KFOX14

   By Meghan Lopez

   Ikea has issued a recall for 29 million chests of drawers that are unstable and could tip over, posing an injury hazard. The recall comes after the company received reports of at least three deaths of children and dozens of other injuries.

   The chests and dressers were sold between 2002 and 2016 for between $70 and $200.

   The recall includes the following MALM model chests and dressers:

   -- MALM 3

   -Measurements: 31 1/2" x 18?" x 30 3/4"

   -- MALM 4

   -Measurements: 31 1/2" x 18?" x 39 1/2"

   -- MALM 5

   -Measurements: 157/8" x 19" x 481/4"

   -- MALM 6

   -Measurements: 31 1/2" x 18?" x 48?"

   -- MALM 6 LONG

   -Measurements: 63" x 18?" x 30 3/4"

   -- MALM 6

   -Measurements: 153/4" x 191/8" x 483/8"

   For a complete list of the recalled dressers and chests, visit this web page: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/pdf/non_malm_CoD_list.pdf.

   Customers have two options: They can either return the dressers and chests for a partial or full refund or they can ask the company for a free anchoring kit to attach the furniture to a wall so it won't tip over.

   Consumers with questions may contact Ikea at 866-856-4532.

   Meanwhile, General Mills has issued a recall for nearly 30 million pounds of flour after an E. coli outbreak. The recall comes after 42 people in 21 states have reported getting sick, 11 of whom were hospitalized.

   The company reports that the people who got sick may have eaten raw batter or dough. E. coli is normally killed when it is cooked.

   Nevertheless, General Mills is asking customers to not use the flour and to either throw it out or return it.

   The recall includes the following products:

   --13.5-ounce Gold Medal Wondra

   -UPC 000-16000-18980

   -- 2-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour

   -UPC 000-16000-10710

   -- 4.25-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour

   -UPC 000-16000-12670

   -- 5-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour

   -UPC 000-16000-10610

   -- 10-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour

   -UPC 000-16000-10410

   --10-pound Gold Medal All Purpose Flour- Banded Pack

   -UPC 000-16000-10650

   -- 5-pound Gold Medal Unbleached Flour

   - UPC 000-16000-19610

   -- 2-pound Signature Kitchens All Purpose Flour Enriched Bleached

   -UPC 000-21130-53000

   -- 2-pound Gold Medal Self Rising Flour

   -UPC 000-16000-11710

   -- 5-pound Gold Medal Self Rising Flour

   -UPC 000-16000-11610

   Customers with questions can contact General Mills at 800-230-8103.

   Finally, Cumberland Farms has issued a voluntary recall for its Sea Salt Caramel Delights flavor of its Cumberland Farms Farmhouse Premium Chocolate Treats.

   The company reports that there may be undeclared peanuts inside the chocolates, which could cause a severe allergic reaction for some people.

   The packaging says that the product is packed in a facility where other products containing peanuts, tree nuts, milk, wheat, soy and eggs are packaged. But the company issued the recall out of an abundance of caution after receiving two customer complaints.

   Only the 3-ounce bags are affected by this recall. Customers should throw them out or return them for a refund. Customers with questions may contact the company at 508-270-1400.

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6. Bellmore boy hurt by recalled Ikea dresser

   Jul 3, 2016 | Ecommerce-Journal

   By Melissa Porter

   Ikea is recalling 29 million chests and dressers that can easily tip over and trap children underneath.

   Jaime Sumersille, of Bellmore, tells Newsday the Malm dresser fell on her 5-year-old son last month, hit him on the head and knocked him against a wall.

   Participating consumers can receive a full or partial refund or a free wall-anchoring fix kit.

   ABC News reports that furniture giant IKEA isrecalling 29 million dressers and chests after a series of deaths associated with improperly secured units.

   "We are announcing this USA recall today given the recent tragic death of a third child", Ikea said in a statement Tuesday.

   The Swedish retailer announced the recall Tuesday, June 28, saying the furniture can pose "a tip-over and entrapment hazard that can result in death or injuries to children" if it is not properly anchored to a wall.

   Madigan and KID stress the importance of securing furniture and urge families to follow CPSC guidelines for anchoring furniture.

   U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission spokeswoman Patty Davis assured the Chicago Tribune that it works closely with online platforms and will be removing the posts as they see them pop up. Another option available to consumers is to return the recalled IKEA units to the store for a full refund. IKEA will send you a free wall anchor fix kit or a refund of your purchase price for the chest or dresser.

   A list of 99 other units published on Ikea's website offers an A-Z listing of the individual items covered by the recall. IKEA has advised consumers that they can receive a refund or store credit for their dresser or received a free fix kit to anchor the dresser to the wall to prevent a tip-over accident.

   In the United Kingdom, all Ikea Malm products come with a fixing kit to attach it to the wall, and the assembly instructions and website make it clear that they should be fixed to ensure they are safe. Chances are good that those items will include something from the Malm line. In fact, more than 25,000 children are injured each year from furniture that tips over, and 430 children died from falling furniture between 2000 and 2013, according to a 2014 report from the CPSC.

   In many cases (about 34 percent), the individual who was injured was trying to climb up the furniture before it fell on the child.

   Kaye said IKEA is now working with CPSC to bring safer designs to the markets so that furniture is more stable.

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Tuesday, June 28

7. Ikea recalls millions of Malm dressers after several U.S. children killed

   Jun 28, 2016 | CBC News

   By Pete Evans

   The deaths of several children in the U.S. after dressers toppled over have prompted Ikea to recall one of its best selling items, the Malm dresser.

   The Swedish furniture makers says it is recalling 29 million Malm or similar dressers in the U.S, along with 6.6 million in Canada, because the units are unstable if they aren't secured to a wall.

   A half dozen U.S. children have died in incidents where the popular dressers toppled over. Ikea recalls Patrull nightlights for electrical shock riskIkea recalls Vyssa crib mattresses

   All of the children killed were three years old or younger, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said. One of the children was killed about 27 years ago. The other deaths were more recent, between 2002 and 2016. The CPSC said it received 36 reports of children who were injured.

   The CPSC put out the following video to demonstrate how dressers can easily tip over and crush a child

   The recall includes approximately 6.6 million sold in Canada since 1998. But chests of drawers manufactured prior to 2002 will be eligible for a partial store credit. 

   Models included in the recall are Malm children's chests and drawers taller than 23.5 inches and adult chests and dressers taller than 29.5 inches.Best seller

   "Ikea Canada takes its role as a responsible retailer very seriously, and we want to raise the awareness of the hazard of furniture tip-over in Canadians' homes," Ikea Canada's president Stefan Sjöstrand said in a statement.

   From now on, the company says it will only sell chests of drawers that meet the voluntary North American ASTM standard requirements on free-standing stability.

   Malm dressers are one of the best selling items in Ikea's history. 

   "There are millions and millions of these products in people's homes," said Rachel Weintraub, of the Consumer Federation of America.

   "The evidence we have of the hazard is robust, the number of people who could be impacted is profound, and it's incredibly important to take action."

   Ikea issued a repair kit last year that would secure the dressers to the wall, but now says further action is needed. If customers don't want to retrofit their dressers, they are entitled to a full refund, the company said.

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8. Ikea recalls 36 mln chests, dressers after six deaths

   Jun 28, 2016 | Reuters

   By Ian Simpson

   Swedish furniture retailer IKEA Group is recalling almost 36 million chests and dressers in the United States and Canada that have been linked to the deaths of six children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said on Tuesday.

   The furnishings can topple over if they are not anchored securely to walls, posing a threat to children, the commission said in a statement.

   The recall covers six models of MALM chests or dressers manufactured from 2002 to 2016, as well as about 100 other families of chests or dressers, it said.

   "It is simply too dangerous to have the recalled furniture in your home unanchored, especially if you have young children," CPSC Chairman Elliott Kaye said in a statement.ADVERTISINGinRead invented by Teads

   Tipped-over furniture or television sets kill a U.S. child every two weeks, he said.

   Two U.S. toddlers died in separate 2014 incidents when MALM chests fell over on them. A 22-month-old boy was killed last year in a similar incident, after IKEA had announced a repair program included a free wall-anchoring kit.

   None of the furnishings in the fatal incidents had been anchored to the wall.

   IKEA also had received reports of 41 tip-over incidents involving non-MALM chests that caused 19 injuries and the deaths of three children from 1989 to 2007.

   As part of the recall, IKEA is offering refunds or a free wall-anchoring kit.

   The U.S. recall covers about 8 million MALM chests and dressers and 21 million other model chests and dressers. About 6.6 million are being recalled in Canada. (Editing by Dan Grebler)

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