A commercial establishment was closed down yesterday by the Industry and Commerce Ministry after inspectors uncovered multiple violations, including the sale of expired products, price manipulation and breaches of consumer protection regulations.
The action is part of the ministry’s ongoing market inspection campaign aimed at ensuring businesses comply with Bahrain’s commercial laws and safeguarding consumer rights.
According to the ministry, inspectors from its Inspection Department detected several serious violations during a routine inspection. They included the trading and sale of expired food and consumer products, a practice that, the ministry said, poses a direct threat to public health and consumer safety.
“The establishment was also found to have failed to clearly display prices on products, making it difficult for customers to know the actual cost of goods before purchasing them,” said a ministry statement yesterday.
“Inspectors also discovered that identical products were being sold at different prices to different consumers, while the prices of some goods had been increased without any legitimate justification.”
The ministry said these practices constitute violations of Bahrain’s consumer protection and commercial regulations and warranted immediate administrative closure of the business.
It stressed that inspection campaigns will continue across all four governorates as part of efforts to regulate markets, maintain fair competition and ensure retailers comply with the law.
Officials warned that there would be no leniency towards violators, adding that the maximum legal penalties would be imposed on businesses found to be exploiting consumers or violating market regulations.
In the past week, a store was shut down in the Capital Governorate after inspectors found several violations that included the sale of expired products, inflated prices of essential food items, failure to display prices and discrepancies between the shelf price and the price charged at checkout.
Another commercial outlet in the Capital Governorate was closed down after inspectors uncovered what authorities described as unjustified price rises on essential food items, in the latest warning shot against businesses accused of exploiting consumers.
The ministry urged the public to help monitor the market by reporting any suspected violations through its official communication channels, including email at inspection@moic.gov.bh, the dedicated WhatsApp line on 17111225, or the national Tawasul suggestions and complaints system.
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