Markham’s Pacific Mall may be taking steps to stop the sale of counterfeit goods at its stores, but some customers doubt the mall would last without them.
Last month, the U.S. Office of the Trade Representative named the shopping mall as among the world’s most notorious sources of imitation and counterfeit goods.
Yesterday, mall management spoke out about the claims, saying they are “deeply disturbed” and “disappointed” in the report. They said they would be taking steps to stop the sale of imitation goods.
“Management takes compliance with the laws and regulations that govern the sale of goods seriously,” a release from Pacific Mall said.
Customers trickling in and out of the predominantly Chinese-Canadian mall on Wednesday had mixed reaction to the U.S. report and the mall’s pledge to tackle the problem.
“It’s going to keep coming, you can’t crack down,” said one customer. “I’ve seen many other malls where there’s been a crackdown and they’re selling it under the table. I’ve seen it many times. It’s not like you can completely get out of it. At the same time, people are willing to purchase the counterfeit stuff and are looking for deals.”
One customer said she believes that owners of stores that sell the imitation goods “hide things” when inspectors drop by.
“They somehow know when police come in to check if they’re legitimate,” the woman, who did not provide her name, said. “People will always come back here no matter what because people are trying to save money.”
Others questioned whether stopping the sale of counterfeit goods would hurt overall business at the shopping centre.
“Everyone comes here for cheaper things, like cheaper phone cases,” said another customer. “Everything they want is here and everything is cheaper. If they legitimize it, I think the popularity of Pacific Mall is going to go down.”
The annual report identifies so-called “notorious markets.” This year’s included 19 brick-and-mortar locations and 25 online retailers.
Pacific Mall, located on Steeles Avenue, is the only Canadian market included on the list.
“The sale of counterfeit goods at Pacific Mall in Ontario is sprawling and pervasive,” the report said. “It has also been a well-known market for the sale of pirated goods for over a decade.”
The report listed cosmetics, sunglasses and fragrances as examples of imitation goods being sold there, adding that the fake products “pose a risk to public health and safety.”
As part of its preliminary measures, Pacific Mall said it will monitor activity at stores and issue written warnings to operators and owners involved in the sale of questionable goods.
They say they will also “partner with manufacturers to assist the identification of imitation goods” and “commission a private investigator to conduct internal audits for imitation goods.”
“As Pacific Mall management monitors this situation closely, it will continue to adopt various practices that will help discourage such behaviour from recurring in the future,” the release said.
Over the past two decades, the RCMP and York Regional Police have seized counterfeit electronics, DVDs, video games and other goods said to be worth millions of dollars at the mall.
