Preview Newsletter
MALM Day 16, July 12, 2016 - 6PM
-
Ikea Is Recalling 1.7 Million More Dressers in China
Jul 12, 2016 | Fortune
By Claire Zillman
-
IKEA Recalls 1.7 Million Topple-Prone Dressers In China After Media Frenzy
Jul 12, 2016 | Consumerist
By Laura Northrup
-
Ikea to recall dangerous drawers sold in China
Jul 12, 2016 | Leader Call
-
Ikea bows to pressure from authorities and recalls 1.7m chests of drawers in China
Jul 12, 2016 | City AM
By Francesca Washtell
-
Ikea in Recall U-Turn
Jul 12, 2016 | Sino
By Rupert Reid
-
IKEA announces product recall after outcry over ‘double standards’
Jul 12, 2016 | Global Times
By Li Xuanmin
-
Why Ikea Will Continue Selling Dangerous Dressers Wherever It Can Get Away With It
Jul 12, 2016 | Slate
By Catherine Piner
-
IKEA to Recall 1.66 Million Pieces Of 'Child-Murdering' Furniture
Jul 12, 2016 | Shanghai Expat
By Jordan Harris
-
IKEA forced to recall products over safety fears
Jul 12, 2016 | Shanghai Daily
By Hu Min
-
Ikea to recall 1.66 million Malm chests and dressers
Jul 12, 2016 | News Today
By Cheryl Sanders
-
Ikea to recall 1.66 million Malm chests and dressers
Jul 12, 2016 | Tribu Magazine
By Eleena Frisco
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
-
Ikea Is Recalling 1.7 Million More Dressers in China
Jul 12, 2016 | Fortune
By Claire Zillman
It’s already recalled 29 million in the U.S. linked to three deaths.
Ikea expanded the recall of its problematic Malm dressers to China on Tuesday as the country’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection, and Quarantine announced that the Swedish retailer had submitted a recall plan that applies to about 1.7 million products in mainland China.
In late June, Ikea announced the recall of 8 million Malm dressers and 21 million other chests in the U.S. and 6.6 million units in Canada. That notice followed the deaths of three children who were crushed by the dressers over a two-year span. Ikea had introduced a repair program in July 2015 that urged customers to attach Malm units to the wall, but it reexamined its response to the tip-over risk after the third child’s death in February 2016.
The June recall’s limited geographical scope irked regulators in China. The nation’s official Xinhau news agency published an editorial on Sunday that said Ikea’s decision against a more comprehensive recall illustrated the furniture maker’s “arrogance” and irresponsibility. Ikea told Fortune earlier this year that it sold 65 million Malm units worldwide over 13 years. Ikea said last week that it would offer Chinese customers free anchoring kits, but it would not recall the Malm products in China since the units met local standards. Ikea’s recall also didn’t apply to the EU, the company’s biggest market.
The Xinhau editorial called Ikea’s action—or lack thereof—in China “petty.”
In a notice posted Tuesday to its Chinese language site, Ikea reiterated its advice to attach the Malm to the wall, but it also promised a refund to customers who returned the furniture. The company did not immediately return a request for comment on why it changed its stance on recalling the item in China.
Ikea’s approach to its troublesome Malm series has prompted criticism in other arenas too. In April, U.S. safety officials blasted the retailer for its attempt to fix the tip-over problem by telling customers to attach the item to a wall. The “repair” campaign didn’t mention the word “recall,” and representatives from groups like the Consumer Federation of America and the National Center for Health Research said that language choice “reduce[d] the impact” of their efforts to “educate and encourage consumers to recognize the need for action when they hear about a recall.” Safety officials also said the Malm didn’t meet the U.S.’s voluntary industry standards that require each drawer of a dresser to withstand 50 pounds of weight, and that they should stop being sold.
In announcing the recall in North America in June, Ikea said that “taking further action was the right thing to do.”
-
IKEA Recalls 1.7 Million Topple-Prone Dressers In China After Media Frenzy
Jul 12, 2016 | Consumerist
By Laura Northrup
Swedish home-goods merchant IKEA is a global retailer, which unites all of humanity in having the exact same dressers in our bedrooms. While the Malm and other dressers that are especially prone to toppling over were recalled in the United States and Canada, the company sold the products in its stores all over the world, and they weren’t recalled in other markets, notably the European Union and or China. Now, after two weeks of state-controlled media fuss, IKEA in China has recalled the dressers.
The perception of the IKEA brand in China is a little different from here in the U.S. and in Canada. We tend to think of the retailer as a place for starter furniture; “for college kids and divorced men,” as geek troubadour Jonathan Coulton once sang, because of course there’s a pop song about IKEA.
Back to China, though: over there, consumers tend to see imported brands as better quality than items produced domestically. The New York Times explains that Chinese consumers go out of their way and spend extra to buy from IKEA, considering the products superior to Chinese brands.
That leads to higher expectations, which in turn led to consumer outrage when customers learned that the dressers had been recalled in Canada and the U.S., but not in China. The company explained that the products sold in those markets met local regulations, so there was no need to recall them.
In the U.S., the standard that the dressers didn’t meet was a voluntary one, and the products were only recalled after six known deaths of small children dating back to 1989. However, Chinese media turned the geographically limited recall into a scandal, and the company finally gave in to pressure and recalled affected dressers.
Dressers sold in the European Union still haven’t been recalled. The lesson here: the growing population of middle-class Chinese consumers aren’t going to accept even the suggestion that safety standards there should be any lower there compared to the rest of the world.
-
Ikea to recall dangerous drawers sold in China
Jul 12, 2016 | Leader Call
The furniture under the recall scheme, which has been submitted to China's top quality watchdog, were sold between 1999 and 2016, and 1,660,845 pieces of furniture products, including some imported ones, are involved, according to China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.
The recall announcement by the USA and Canada reportedly sparked heated discussions among Chinese consumers regarding them being excluded from the deal amid allegations of lax safety standards upheld by China. And in response, IKEA said its products sold in China meet the country's national quality standard and no injuries caused by its furniture have been reported. In a statement, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that the furniture could topple over if not anchored securely to a wall.
The recalled chests and dressers do not comply with furniture safety standards in the U.S., but are fine under China's standards.
The firm said last Thursday it would not extend a recall of 36 million dressers in North America to China, after the products were linked to six child deaths.
Currently, IKEA stores on the mainland are divided on their refund policies, even though the company sent a message to consumers saying the dressers could be returned to stores if they could not by firmly attached to a wall in the buyer's home.
"The behavior shown contradicts to the "Ikea spirit" that founder Ingvar Kamprad talks about, being helpful and responsible", Xinhua wrote.
The company came under fire in China, as the country was not included in the recall.
Ikea China did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
-
Ikea bows to pressure from authorities and recalls 1.7m chests of drawers in China
Jul 12, 2016 | City AM
By Francesca Washtell
Ikea has recalled 1.66m chests and dressers in China from its popular Malm range over concerns the furniture pieces pose a danger to children.
The recall covers pieces produced in the range between 1999 and 2016, which can be hazardous if not fixed properly to walls.
In June Ikea was forced to recall 29m dressers in the US and Canada following the deaths of six children who were crushed to death by drawers that had toppled over.
Ikea advised customers to use wall mounts along with the products, but more than 40 children had been reported injured since 2014. It has since stopped producing the drawers.
Read more: Ikea's drawer debacle won't destroy UK image
The Swedish furniture company said last Thursday it would not extend the recall to China, though has since bowed to pressure from government regulator the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).
The company carried out a recall in North America because the products did not meet industry standards in the United States, an IKEA spokesman told Reuters, but had complied with regulations in China.
"But ... after communicating with AQSIQ and the China Consumers Association we have decided to carry out a recall on the MALM dressers," it said.
-
Jul 12, 2016 | Sino
By Rupert Reid
Swedish flat-pack giant Ikea has initiated a u-turn over the recall of nearly 2 million 'malm' dressers in China.
The Financial Times reports that the company had come under increasing pressure from Chinese netizens as well as the printed press, after they initially refused to extend a recall in the US and the EU to China.
That refusal came despite safety concerns that the furniture could be prone to toppling under certain circumstances.
China is an important market for ikea - with eight of their ten biggest stores based in the country.
-
IKEA announces product recall after outcry over ‘double standards’
Jul 12, 2016 | Global Times
By Li Xuanmin
Following pressure from Chinese quality officials, Sweden-based furniture retailer IKEA will recall its Malm chests of drawers and dressers in the Chinese market.
Experts said the move is a warning to foreign enterprises not to follow "double standards" when it comes to quality issues in China.
According to a statement posted on the website of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), starting from Tuesday, about 1.66 million IKEA chests and dressers of multiple sizes that were sold in China from 1999 to 2016 will be recalled.
The AQSIQ and the China Consumer Association held talks with IKEA over the weekend, during which they urged the company to take action.
In the US and Canada, the company announced plans in June to recall nearly 36 million chests and dressers of its Malm line, which were found to be prone to topple over and crush toddlers if not anchored to the wall. Those items have been linked to the deaths of six children, according to a statement posted last week on the US Consumer Product Safety Commission's website.
China was previously excluded from the recall plan. IKEA said last week that the chests and dressers conformed with China's local regulations and standards and had not caused any injuries in China.
IKEA's perceived double standards when it comes to the Chinese and North American markets led to an outcry from Chinese consumers.
To appease the public, IKEA announced a compromise on Thursday, described by domestic media as a "conditional return." The company said it would provide free screw sets for attaching the furniture items to the wall, with free home installation service on request. Furthermore, if consumers were unable to safely affix their furniture to the wall, they were able to return the items for a full refund, a post from the Shenzhen Consumer Council on Thursday noted.
Media reports suggested that the measures were merely modifications of the company's existing policies, which to date have proven ineffective, as consumers in certain cities either need to pick up the replacement screws themselves at IKEA stores or pay a separate fee for professional installation, the Xinhua News Agency reported Monday, citing local news reports.
Qiu Baochang, a partner at the Beijing-based Huijia Law Firm, compared IKEA's recent moves to the manner in which toothpaste comes from the tube only when it is squeezed.
"IKEA's action comes only after relevant government bodies got involved in the matter. The company is trying its best to avoid the cost of recalling this potentially fatal furniture," Qiu told the Global Times Tuesday, criticizing IKEA for failing to take responsibility for its products and its unfair treatment of Chinese consumers.
The company's initial stance has taken a toll on its reputation. A survey by domestic news portal sina.com found that more than half of the respondents said they'd lost trust in IKEA.
Experts noted that IKEA's case isn't unique. Some foreign brands have applied "double standards" in the Chinese market in the face of quality-related global recalls.
Global food and drug manufactures Johnson & Johnson has conducted 51 global product recalls since 2005, but China has been excluded 48 times, according to the People's Daily, which cited local media.
In October 2015, Japanese automobile giant Toyota recalled 6.5 million vehicles in North America, Europe and Japan for a defect in the power window switch, but the global recall was not extended to China.
Zhao Ping, the director at the global trade research institute of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, noted that IKEA's case serves as a warning to foreign brands.
"This is a milestone event for Chinese consumers. Foreign enterprises will realize implementing double standards in China won't work, as Chinese authorities are strengthening supervision over quality issues." Zhao said.
But she also pointed out that the root cause of this phenomenon is the absence of relevant laws in China specifically governing product recalls and regulators' inexperience in enforcing the laws that are in effect.
"Chinese regulators still need to improve in those two fields," Zhao noted. -
Why Ikea Will Continue Selling Dangerous Dressers Wherever It Can Get Away With It
Jul 12, 2016 | Slate
By Catherine Piner
Two weeks after recalling 29 million pieces of furniture in America and Canada, Ikea has agreed to extend that recall to China. The Swedish company announced the American recall after the deaths of at least six toddlers, cases where the near-ubiquitous MALM and other models of chests and drawers toppled over and fell onto children. Although those same items are sold in Europe and China, the company did not initially recall them as they did in the American market. And it only expanded itsvoluntary recall to China after intense consumer pressure to do so.
Why are the dressers dangerous? According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the dressers aren’t safe unless they’re attached to the wall. A child who stands on the bottom drawer while trying to reach the top of the dresser could have the entire unit tumble over onto them. Ikea USA president Lars Petersson has told reporters that the chests and dressers were sold with instructions saying they must be mounted to walls, but, given the number of deaths, it’s clear that the units were not mounted.
After much criticism from the Consumers' Association of China's Nanjing City, the official Xinhua news agency, and Chinese social media users, Ikea has agreed to recall 1.7 million chests and dressers in China. As company spokeswoman Xian Jiaxin said in an interview, “Ikea is a very responsible company, consumer safety is very important to us, which is how we came to this decision.” Maybe so—but why, then, are the dressers still on sale in Europe? In that same interview, Xian Jiaxin said that the dressers would still be available to European shoppers.
Ikea, of course, is still free to sell its dressers wherever it wants. Its American recall never acknowledged that the dressers were unsafe, only that they did not meet U.S. standards for safety. And in China, too, the company isn’t being forced to recall the furniture, but is responding to consumer outrage. At the end of the 2015 fiscal year, Ikea’s China’s sales totaled about $1.55 billion, a massive sum that gives Chinese consumers a great deal of sway over Ikea’s fortunes. And those customers are pissed: Some called the company's reluctance to issue a recall “arrogant” while others said, “The sooner they close down the better! Let’s boycott Ikea now!” On March 15th, China’s Consumers Rights Day, the country’s national television broadcaster accuses major companies of violating consumer interests. With growing concern over consumer safety, and with the massive influences that this large market wields, it is clear why it would behoove a company like Ikea to heed the calls of its consumers and extend its recall. It’s too bad the concerns of shoppers in Europe haven’t convinced the company to take action there, too.
But Ikea's recall evidently isn’t about quality assurance. It’s about saving face and preserving profits. Hopefully that will be enough to convince Ikea to do right by its customers everywhere.
-
IKEA to Recall 1.66 Million Pieces Of 'Child-Murdering' Furniture
Jul 12, 2016 | Shanghai Expat
By Jordan Harris
Swedish furniture giant and impossible-to-escape labyrinth, IKEA, has decided to recall 1.66 million chests and dressers after it was revealed that products could crush children if improperly fixed to walls.
Even more IKEA products were recalled in North America after they killed 6 children and injured 36. IKEA originally stated that it would not issue a recall as it still complied with regulations in China -- because if a few children are sacrificed for good profits, it's not IKEA's fault right?
The company later changed their mind after strong criticism from XinhuaNews Agency and a discussion with both China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) and the China Consumers Association.
However, Sina reports that out of 102 of the products with safety issues, there are still 22 sold in China that IKEA hasn't issued a recall on. Now word as to whether the beds are still suitable for Chinese customers to sleep on in the stores....
-
IKEA forced to recall products over safety fears
Jul 12, 2016 | Shanghai Daily
By Hu Min
IKEA China has started recalling more than 1.66 million of chests of drawers, including the popular Malm line series, in China’s mainland today, following criticism about double standards for refusing to order a recall of products in China as it did in North America.
On June 29, IKEA announced that it would recall 35.6 million chests and dressers in the United States and Canada after six children were crushed to death after the furniture toppled over them.
However, the Swedish furniture giant refused to recall the products in China, provoking accusations of discrimination and consumer rights violations.
It eventually relented after the Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau got in touch with IKEA China and ordered it to fulfill its obligation on quality issues and safety hazards.
IKEA China said products sold in China had passed the country’s national quality standard and no injuries or fatalities were reported on the mainland.
But it eventually relented and ordered a recall scheme, which was submitted to China’s quality watchdog. It said the products in question were available in China between 1999 and 2016 with 1,660,845 pieces sold, China’s General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said.
During a visit to the IKEA’s Xuhui outlet yesterday, Shanghai Daily found that the supposed-recalled products were still being sold with the Swedish company insisting that it had no quality problems. The affected lines of drawers such as Hemnes, Malm, Tarva and Brimnes were still available for buyers at the outlet.
“We will not stop the sales of these furniture because anchoring them to the wall will solve the problem,” said Vivian Tang, IKEA Shanghai PR manager.
IKEA China had also posted messages at its outlets, website and on its product assembly instructions, reminding consumers to secure the furniture to the wall to ensure safety, the company said in a statement.
Tang said free wall-anchoring service was available for consumers.
IKEA China said if buyers still insist on a return, its staff would come home and take away the furniture listed in the recall plan. They can get a refund with the receipt.
But the continued sales of the controversial products did not go down well with some people. “Recalling and selling the same models of products at the same time is a contradictory practice and ignores consumers’ rights and interests,” said Ge Zhihao, a local lawyer.
Some buyers said they were not aware of the safety issues of the furniture.
“After media reports of the incident in the US, I tried shaking the chests of the drawers to see if they could topple over,” said Chen Li, who has a 10-year-old daughter.
“I think IKEA should stop selling these furniture immediately otherwise the recall plan is meaningless,” she said.
But there were a few consumers who were sympathetic about the situation.
“If IKEA tells its consumers to secure the furniture on the wall, it does not have to be recalled,” said Sherry Shen who has a 6-year-old son. “It is not like a children’s furniture containing excessive formaldehyde, which affects health,” she said.
-
Ikea to recall 1.66 million Malm chests and dressers
Jul 12, 2016 | News Today
By Cheryl Sanders
An Ikea MALM dresser is placed by the road, following the recall of nearly 36 million chests and dressers in the United States and Canada, in a Brooklyn neighborhood of New York City, U.S., June 28, 2016.
After it met with China's Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the company chose to recall the 1,660,845 dressers and chests of drawers sold in China between 1999 and 2016.
Last month, IKEA recalled millions of dressers and chests of drawers from its North American market after accidents linked them to 6 children's deaths and 36 injuries, but continued selling them in China and other countries.
However, IKEA has refused to recall similar products in China, provoking accusations of discrimination and consumer rights violations from the consumer rights protection commissions in Shenzhen and Nanjing and Chinese lawyers.
IKEA made the decision to recall the furniture after discussions with AQSIQ, the administration said.
"The behavior shown contradicts to the "IKEA spirit" that founder Ingvar Kamprad talks about, being helpful and responsible", Xinhua wrote.
However, the firm refused to extend the product recall to China, the United Kingdom or the European Union, saying the products met local industry standards.
The recall announcement by the USA and Canada reportedly sparked heated discussions among Chinese consumers regarding them being excluded from the deal amid allegations of lax safety standards upheld by China.
"Ikea promises to serve as a model in responding to this challenge".
Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.
-
Ikea to recall 1.66 million Malm chests and dressers
Jul 12, 2016 | Tribu Magazine
By Eleena Frisco
In the latest twist, Swedish furniture maker IKEA seems to have backed away from a previous decision to recall a line of life-threatening chests of drawers in China, promising to announce its new decision on Monday.
IKEA's MALM chests or dressers manufactured from 1999 to 2016 will be recalled, the Chinese safety regulator reportedly said.
The number sold came to more than 1.6 million, the watchdog said.
The recall announcement by the US and Canada reportedly sparked heated discussions among Chinese consumers regarding them being excluded from the deal amid allegations of lax safety standards upheld by China. In a statement, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said that the furniture could topple over if not anchored securely to a wall.
"But ... after communicating with AQSIQ and the China Consumers Association we have chose to carry out a recall on the MALM dressers", it said.
In an apparent about-face, AQSIQ said on Tuesday that Ikea had submitted a request to undertake a recall effective from July 12.
Following an online backlash in China over the issue, Ikea offered free home installation and an optional refund.
IKEA's decision comes after the official Xinhua news agency criticized it last week for showing "arrogance" and not taking responsibility for the problem.
"Ikea promises to serve as a model in responding to this challenge".
However, the firm refused to extend the product recall to China, the United Kingdom or the European Union, saying the products met local industry standards.
The company entered the Chinese market in 1998 and reported sales in the country of $1.55 billion in 2015, up 18 percent on the year before.
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Add recipients
Suggested