Retailer Fewstone, trading as City Beach, has been handed $14 million in penalties by the Federal Court for the sale of non-compliant button battery products on more than 54,000 occasions.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) brought the case to the court after investigating a “wide array” of City Beach’s products.

City Beach admitted to the charges that, between June 2022 and October 2024, it had supplied products that did not comply with the button battery safety standards set out in Australian Consumer Law.

It also admitted that, during the same period, it had supplied products that did not comply with the button battery information standard on more than 56,000 occasions.  

The court found that City Beach’s unlawful conduct put more than 50,000 young children at risk of severe injury or death. It described City Beach’s “lack of urgency in seeking to recall the non-compliant products” as “condemnable.”

“Today’s penalty sends a clear message to businesses and suppliers that failing to meet safety standards for button batteries is unacceptable and can result in serious penalties,” ACCC commissioner Luke Woodward said.

“Button batteries pose a significant risk to children, and can be fatal. The ACCC will not hesitate to take strong enforcement action against businesses that fail to comply with the button battery standards.”

The products included toys, digital notepads, keyrings, lights and light-up Jibbitz accessories for Crocs shoes.

This was the first court proceeding brought by the ACCC for breaches of the button battery safety standards.

The court ordered an injunction restraining City Beach from engaging in future contraventions of the law’s mandatory standards. It also ordered City Beach to implement a consumer law compliance program and to undertake advertising as part of its voluntary recall of the products in question.