Australia sues Dusk Group over alleged non-compliant button battery items sale

Dusk

22/07/2026 05:03

July 22 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator began Federal Court proceedings against a subsidiary of Dusk Group DSK.AX on Wednesday over the sale of allegedly non-compliant button battery products, sending the retailer's shares down over 15% to a two-year low.
Here are some details : 
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) alleges that between May 17, 2023 and December 12, 2024, Dusk Australasia Pty supplied 66,453 products that did not meet mandatory button battery safety and information standards, in breach of Australian Consumer Law.
The specialty home fragrance retailer in a separate statement said it had not identified any reports of customer harm associated with these products, and would continue to monitor customer feedback and respond appropriately to any concerns raised.
Shares of the Dusk Group fell as much as 15.2% to A$0.64, to their lowest level since July 17, 2024, after resumption of temporary pause in trade.
The products included candles, diffusers, tealights, snow globes, and other LED products, many of which were Christmas, Easter or Halloween themed and may be attractive to young children, who are most at risk of harm from button batteries, the ACCC said.
The ACCC alleged Dusk Australasia did not test 25 of the product lines before supplying them to consumers as required, instead obtained test results later to confirm they met the relevant safety requirements.
The regulator also alleged that four product lines failed to include the safety warnings required by the mandatory information standard, which may be important to a purchase decision or help take precautions after purchase.
The ACCC further alleged the unit breached a 2023 undertaking not to supply consumer goods containing button batteries unless those goods comply with the Safety Standard and Information Standard.
     

 (Reporting by Anjali Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Nivedita Bhattacharjee)
 ((anjali.singh2@thomsonreuters.com;))