KOHLER Raids Counterfeit Center, Destroys Over 700 Products

Under the patronage of Dubai’s Department of Economic Development’s (DED) Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Division, kitchen and bath industry giant KOHLER Middle East has succeeded in seizing and destroying over 700 counterfeit products located at a major furniture store in the Emirate. The sanitary products labeled “KOHLAR” were traced back to a company which refused to disclose the name of the manufacturer. Local authorities fined the company $13,859 and ordered the destruction of all of its creations. Investigations are underway to determine the identity of the manufacturer, possibly a sanitary ware company headquartered in China. “In addition to these practices being harmful to the market, the products present a degree of risk for their purchaser,” Jerome Michel, Kohler EMEA Managing Director, said. “However, customers who buy the real products know the difference,” he explained. The raid is part of KOHLER’s ongoing efforts to protect its intellectual property rights and consistently monitor its products in the market. The industry pioneer adopts a zero-tolerance policy towards counterfeit products to guarantee consumer protection. Mohamed Nada, KOHLER Regional Marketing Manager, said: “We always go to great lengths in ensuring that our customers receive top quality products. Hence, we were adamant on tracing the source of these products and completely destroying them.” “The operation has been implemented with the highly appreciated and continuous support of DED’s Commercial Control and Consumer Protection Division,” he added.