Report fake products, local business owners told

LOCAL business owners should report to authorities if they find their products copied and sold in foreign-owned shops, Commerce and Industry Minister Wera Mori says.
Mori was responding to a business called Jade’s in Madang which recently advised that they would no longer be selling and designing provincial singlets as all their designs had been copied and mass produced by foreign-owned retailers around the country.
“They should raise their complaints with authorities such as the PNG Customs Services,” he said.
“They will be based in Madang (and other provinces) to front up at the shops which are selling (the copied products).
“Secondly, we need this report to come to the Department of Commerce and Industry so that my officers can take appropriate action.”
Jade’s recently posted on their Facebook page a notice telling customers that “as an SME, we do not have the buying power to buy in container loads.”
“Therefore, our prices are higher compared to our Chinese competitors. But mind you our quality is way better,” they said.
“But we have decided to cease making this products as we do not want to feed them with new designs.”
After Jade’s announcement on their Facebook page, another SME in Port Moresby, Glow Hair Boutique and Glow Boutique, advised that they had purchased the rest of Jade’s stock.
They also announced that they would be working with Jade’s to develop new products and would support them as their designs were unique pieces.
Mori urged SMEs to start addressing the increasing number of mimicked products being sold in foreign-owned shops by reporting them to the authorities.