Yuri Margossian, owner of Stage Door in Harpenden, shares his opinion on the growing presence of fake and counterfeit product in the party market.
The Internet
“We definitely have a big problem. I’ve had customers refuse to buy bona fide costumes because they have bought similar on the internet; similar picture but different quality.”
Quality Product
“Counterfeit balloons are inferior quality, most have holes or pulverize. We often have difficulty getting helium into the nozzle as it’s so rubbish. Counterfeit costumes are very cheap and shabby and are an embarrassment to the whole industry. Items like boas start falling apart when trying to get them out of the plastic bags.”
Suppliers Step Up
“The suppliers are not doing anything like enough. Bonifide companies selling anything in this sphere should have an official mark stating that they are official suppliers to the market. Anyone else should have their accounts closed and be reported under the Trades Descriptions Act.”
Take Action
“Retailers who stock this rubbish should have their accounts closed by genuine wholesalers. These inferior products cause loss of revenue and turn people away from proper shops. We sell a fantastic product, why should we allow the cheap rubbish to take over and destroy what we have?”
Code of Conduct
“We need a code of conduct that we have to adhere to and we need to bring pride back into the business in place of penny pinching.”
