Major retailers take Asanzo products off shelves
Major retailers take Asanzo products off shelves
Several major retailers of mobile phones and home appliances have taken Asanzo-branded items off their supermarket shelves, after Asanzo Vietnam was discovered trading Chinese electronic products bearing Made-in-Vietnam labels, the local media reported.
Multiple electronics retailers such as Dien may Cho Lon, Dien may Xanh and Nguyen Kim in HCMC have removed some of the Asanzo product lines from their shelves since yesterday morning, June 23.
Staff members of a Nguyen Kim electronics supermarket on Cach Mang Thang Tam Street in Tan Binh District told Thanh Nien newspaper that nearly 20 Asanzo TVs of various s had been repacked and returned to their manufacturer. Other Asanzo home appliances, including cookers, ovens and electric kettles, had been removed from shelves as well.
Asanzo products encountered the same fate at a facility owned by Dien may Cho Lon. Many Asanzo TVs, the best-selling item, and home appliances were taken off shelves due to the origin fraud allegation against the brand. However, a modest number of 32- to 43-inch TVs were still on display at large discounts, according to sales staff.
Located near the facility of Dien may Cho Lon, a store owned by Dien may Xanh had all its Asanzo products removed too. Consumers were still visiting a zone displaying Asanzo portable speakers at the store though.
Besides this, Tran Nguyen Tuan Anh from Thien Hoa electronic supermarket chain told Tuoi Tre that Thien Hoa had suspended sales of Asanzo products at all its facilities following a probe by Tuoi Tre into the origin fraud allegation. Thien Hoa also asked Asanzo distributors to give a full explanation for its product origins in line with prevailing regulations.
Aside from these major retailers, several ecommerce platforms that had previously sold Asanzo items had to temporarily put these products under “Out of stock” or “Add to wait list” status, while awaiting an official response on the origin fraud claim.
Meanwhile, Asanzo TVs and air conditioners are being traded normally on certain ecommerce sites such as Shopee.vn, Lotte.vn and Lazada. A representative of Shopee was quoted by Tuoi Tre newspaper as saying that the ecommerce operator was working with the competent agencies to take further steps in trading Asanzo products.
Earlier, after collecting evidence on Asanzo Vietnam’s import, assembly and distribution activities, Tuoi Tre wrote to the competent agencies, aiming to verify whether the electronic maker runs lawful operations.
On May 22, the HCMC Department of Customs, in response to Tuoi Tre, said that there was no evidence proving that the registered business locations of firms that import Chinese products for Asanzo were fake.
As for tax obligations, the customs department, in collaboration with the municipal Taxation Department, has directed the competent authorities to inspect these importers’ practices in terms of tax payments.
The customs department also put these importers under supervision.
Established in 2013, Asanzo Vietnam has launched multiple mobile phones and home appliances such as air conditioners, microwaves, cookers and blenders, with TVs being its key product line. The company is preparing to roll out a line of vacuum cleaners as well. The electronics manufacturer targetted to generate revenue of VND10 trillion this year.
