A well-known Co Kerry retailer has been convicted after admitting it attached “Made in Ireland” labels to ranges of hoodies actually produced in Pakistan.
Quills Woollen Market pleaded guilty at Killarney District Court to two counts of breaching consumer protection law following a prosecution by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).
Judge David Waters on Tuesday fined the retailer €500 and ordered it to pay €1,000 towards the CCPC’s costs, noting that this was a “deliberate attempt to deceive buyers”.
Quills operates several retail and gift stores across the southwest, selling Irish-themed clothing, homewares, gifts and jewellery primarily to international tourists.
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Following complaints to the CCPC helpline, officers from the commission carried out inspections in September and November 2024. During visits to Quills stores in Killarney and Kenmare, they examined hooded sweatshirts with Quills-branded swing labels that said, “Made in Ireland”.
One of the products was a “Ring of Kerry, Ireland” hooded sweatshirt, another was a “Killarney, Ireland” hooded sweatshirt.
The officers looked closer and identified instances where the original care labels showing the country of origin appeared to be tampered with, as well as examples that still had the original label showing the country of origin as Pakistan.
Under the Consumer Protection Act 2007, it is an offence for a trader to provide false or misleading information including information relating to the geographical or commercial origin of a product.
The retailer was convicted on both counts.
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A director Padraig Quill Jnr was in court, his solicitor Padraig O’Connell said.
The court heard that Quill emailed the CCPC in January accepting responsibility and his solicitor suggested a mistake was made in furnishing instructions to the manufacturer of the tags, which should have said “designed in Ireland” rather than “made in Ireland”.
O’Connell said there would be far more oversight going forward and that there would be significant reputational damage to the company.
The judge said it was not “an accidental matter” and was a deliberate act to mislead ,adding that large numbers of tourist relied on it being manufactured in Ireland.
“The actions of Quills in this case are simply indefensible, with consequences reaching far beyond the consumers affected,” said CCPC chairman Brian McHugh.
“This behaviour damages competition between businesses selling Irish crafts and could also impact the reputations of both Ireland and Kerry as high-quality tourist destinations.”
He said the CCPC supported businesses with the information they need to understand and meet their obligations under the law.
“However, our message is clear: where we see traders misleading consumers or breaching consumer law, the CCPC will take action, up to and including prosecution.”
