Kmart has again been accused of ‘duping’ Aussie entrepreneurs by copying their successful product and undercutting their price.
Two weeks ago, industrial design company Dreamfarm founder Alex Gransbury accused Kmart of copying his award-winning fold-flat citrus juicer, the Fluicer.
And now the retail giant has been called out for allegedly making a ‘lower quality … dupe’ of pet products sold by a company set up by sister and brother entrepreneurs.
Sandra Abade and her brother Luka Maric from the southern Sydney suburb of Sans Souci set up Dog Friendly Co to sell personalised dog harnesses six years ago.
It started as a side hustle, but has grown into a million-dollar company with more than 300,000 harnesses sold.
But the siblings were horrified to discover this week that Kmart now sells similar harnesses, and said the store is ‘ripping off an Australian brand’.
Kmart’s harness requires owners to stick the letters of their pet’s name to the harness and costs from $12 to $15 – undercutting the Dog Friendly Co harness which can cost five times as much.
The retailer is ‘taking the easy way out’ and making money off hard work done by others, Mrs Abade told the Daily Telegraph.
Sandra Abade (pictured with her dog Carlos) co-founded Dog Friendly Co with her brother Luka Maric
The siblings from the southern Sydney suburb of Sans Souci set up Dog Friendly Co to sell personalised dog harnesses (pictured) six years ago
‘As a small business, especially in early stages, you’re working day and night, you’re … doing the grind, and then just when it gets to a point where you start getting noticed, a bigger company comes in and copies you,’ she said.
Her brother said the Kmart harness copies the shape of the Dog Friendly Co harness, which straps underneath a dog’s chest rather than around its legs.
He said it was ‘duping’ and ‘un-Australian’.
Mr Maric said Kmart’s strategy in this case was ‘a family business puts in a lot of work over the years to develop a product … and then you consistently wait around then do a cheaper version’.
The brother and sister duo are now concerned that potential customers will confuse the ‘lower quality’ Kmart harness with theirs.
Mrs Abade said it’s not just about the quality, ‘we’re actually talking about safety, because there aren’t as (many) restrictions around what you can and can’t do when it comes to products like pet harnesses’.
In the previous ‘duping’ allegation, Mr Gransbury of Dreamfarm has spent the past 22 years redesigning household items to improve functionality since starting his Brisbane company in his garage in 2003.
His most successful item, the Fluicer, is a reimagined version of the humble juicer that is sold in three sizes – to fit limes, lemons and oranges – and retails for between $19.95 and $29.95.
But now they say Kmart has ‘duped’ their product with a ‘lower quality’ copy (pictured)
It was instantly recognised for its innovative design and in 2023, was named as one of Time Magazine’s best inventions and listed as one of Oprah Winfrey’s favourite things.
But earlier this month, the small business owner discovered a duplicate version of his product was being sold at Kmart stores nationwide. The knock-off, produced by Anko, was priced at only $5.
Mr Gransbury also claimed Kmart used photos of his product, as the packaging for the Folding Juicer included an image showing anti-spray features resembling those of the Fluicer.
But he stressed Kmart’s alleged copy does not actually include the same anti-spray features present in the Fluicer.
He said Kmart’s Folding Juicer was flawed because it was too small to effectively juice lemons, and struggled even with limes.
Mr Gransbury said the Fluicer had not been patented in Australia as the process was not economically viable because it required a lawyer and cost about $30,000, along with yearly maintenance fees.
‘I wish, in Australia, we supported each other, but when did it become OK to rip each other off?’ he asked.
At the time, Kmart told Daily Mail Australia its merchandise team conducts rigorous checks to ensure its products do not infringe on the rights of others.
‘Our merchandise team is focused on creating curated ranges that align back to global trends, enabling us to provide our customers with great products at the lowest possible price,’ a spokesperson said.
‘Our merchandise process also ensures we conduct thorough checks during the product ranging and development process, to ensure we are not infringing the rights of others.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Kmart and Dog Friendly Co for comment.
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