Counterfeit goods store opens to warn shoppers of festive rip-offs

Hull Council is launching Mimix in St Stephen’s shopping centre, featuring some of the hundreds of fake items seized by trading standards officers each year.

They include “Pandora” jewellery, “Ugg” boots, designer perfumes, and electrical goods such as X Boxes, Wii’s and plasma 3D televisions.

All will be offered at “amazing” prices to show how easily consumers can be tempted into buying them, but none will be sold.

Trading standards officers will advise shoppers how to shop safely, either on the high street or through the internet.

The council said similar enterprises are often set up at Christmas to take advantage of people looking for bargains, including one which opened in King Edward Street two years ago that saw people queuing outside to attend its auctions of electrical goods.

Hundreds of shoppers were swindled, ending up with fake goods and empty boxes, but the operator was prosecuted following an investigation and given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and pay £2,500 in costs.

Coun John Hewitt, portfolio holder for neighbourhoods and families, said: “Through Mimix we want to help people understand their consumer rights, shop safely and avoid falling prey to rip-offs such as counterfeit or faulty goods, and we want to send a strong message that we will not tolerate such businesses opening in our city.”