FCCC continues enforcement activities towards back-to-school items

As families around the country prepare for the new school year, the Fiji Competition and Consumer Commission has continued its enforcement activities towards back-to-school items.

Since 14 December 2023, the FCCC’s targeted approach has included 222 preschool surveys, to collect data on prices of stationery items both to monitor for price manipulation, as well as provide the list of prices to the public to aid in their back-to-school shopping.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica says the government applauds FCCC's proactive efforts, especially in light of the $200 back-to-school support initiative.

Kamikamica says the government must ensure that such beneficial programs are not undermined by unethical market practices.

He says they are committed to supporting FCCC in these enforcement activities, ensuring fairness and protection for all consumers during this crucial time.

FCCC CEO Joel Abraham says the initiative has been of great assistance to Fijian families, as well as benefitting the Fiji economy at large.

Abraham says with the Government’s $200 Back-to-School Support initiative having just been given out for the new school year, FCCC wants to ensure that the benefits of the initiative are maximised for families.

He says information gathered from their market survey, containing the prices from stationery retailers, will be published on FCCC’s social media pages and website from today.

He adds this will allow consumers to make more informed choices and engage in comparative shopping that can save them money.

Abraham says their enforcement teams are actively carrying out market surveys of school items to prevent instances of price gouging and find out what the current pricing is.

He says this is in addition to inspections to ensure compliance under the FCCC Act 2010.

The CEO says in the weeks to come before schools reopen, they will maintain this momentum for our enforcement activities and will be implementing further awareness activities to assist families as they prepare for the new school year.

For more information, or to report any breaches of consumer rights, members of the public can contact the FCCC by calling 8921 991, emailing helpdesk@fccc.gov.fj or through any of the channels at https://linktr.ee/fijianccc.