Retailer investigated for selling recalled Argos furniture

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission is investigating after some recalled items in the Argos Tammy range went on sale at another retailer. File picture: Argos/CCPC

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) has launched an investigation after furniture recalled by Argos due to fire concerns reappeared for sale in a major Irish retailer.

In February, Argos ordered the urgent recall of a number of Tammy sofas and footstools. The warning notice concerned products in the colours charcoal, mink, and teal that were sold on or after June 21, 2022.

Safety officials for Argos said the product failed to meet the required standards and could catch fire if exposed to a naked flame.

The statement said Argos “takes the safety of its customers extremely seriously”.

It continued: “As a result, we are writing to inform you of an important fire safety issue, discovered during routine testing, in relation to the fabric used on Tammy sofa/footstools. This only affects items sold on or after 21/06/2022.”

However, it has now emerged that a furniture retailer is under investigation by the CCPC  over the resale of some of the goods that were recalled.

A spokesperson for Argos told the Irish Examiner that they “cannot comment on the specifics of any investigation” but confirmed they had written to the furniture chain to “notify them of the recalls and we have also notified the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, who we have been liaising with in relation to the recalls”.

Argos also confirmed that the upholstery materials, such as the fillings used for the recalled product, did not pose any fire safety concerns and were not being recalled.

The furniture retailer is now being investigated after concerns were raised that the company purchased the recalled stock and resold the products without any attached warning.

Some items in the Argos Tammy range were withdrawn in February 2023 due to safety concerns. File picture: Argos

The sofas are believed to have been offered to a number of smaller shops for sale as well as private customers for a fraction of the Argos prices.

They include armchairs, two-seaters, three-seaters, four-seaters and sofa beds and footstools — ranging in price from €110 to €300.

In a statement, the CCPC told the Irish Examiner it has passed on concerns about recalled furniture to its product safety division.

“Each year, the CCPC prevents hundreds of thousands of potentially unsafe products from entering the Irish market because of safety concerns,” it stated.

“We prioritise those products that pose serious risk, including risk of fire.

“We also work with European surveillance authorities to ensure that unsafe products are withdrawn from sale across the 31 member countries under the EU’s Safety Gate System”.

The statement continued “As you are aware, earlier this year, Argos notified the CCPC that they had issued four furniture recalls due to concerns relating to a fire hazard and the CCPC subsequently issued recall notices for these products.

“The CCPC also submitted notification of the recalls to the EU Safety Gate system to alert other member states.

“Businesses should only sell furniture which meet the relevant safety standards and we will continue our work in ensuring that couches which pose a fire risk are removed from the market.

“If a consumer is concerned about the safety of any product, they have purchased we ask them to contact us by calling our helpline on 01 4025555 or email [e-mail].”

The retail chain being investigated has been contacted for comment.