Stores at Doha mall fined for running bogus sales
Three shops in Qatar’s Landmark Mall have been penalised for running ‘fake’ sales, it has emerged.
The stores have been fined $1,649 (QR6,000) each and also had their licences to run promotions temporarily revoked, Doha News reportedat the weekend.
Qatar’s Ministry of Economy and Commerce did spot-checks on the stores last week and found their discounts to be false and certain information about the discounts on offer to be misleading.
It announced the penalties on its Twitter feed, posting pictures showing staff removing sales banners from displays and saying the stores had failed to comply with national laws governing sales.
Shops must reportedly apply to the ministry’s Quantitative Licenses and Market Control Section of the Consumer Protection Department to get a licence before running a sale.
And stores must be prepared to show customers their prices before and during their promotion period, and the discount rate.
The ministry’s tweet did not specify which shops were fined, but Doha News reported that one was children’s clothing brand Gymboree.
