A crackdown on counterfeit telecoms retailers has led to more than 700 businesses losing their shops and counters over the past 11 months, Shenzhen's quality and technical supervision bureau said at a meeting yesterday.

At least 710 retailers were ordered to withdraw from a telecommunication market in Huaqiangbei, Futian District during the campaign in the past 11 months, the bureau said.

The Yuanwang telecommunication market, which records some 200 million yuan (US$25 million) in daily sales, was blacklisted by the Ministry of Information Industry last December as one of six markets in the country dominated by counterfeits.

Yuanwang, together with another blacklisted digital market in Guangzhou, became the focal point of this year's provincial anti-counterfeit campaign.

More than 8,000 shabby, smuggled or self-assembled handset devices, 240,000 pieces of spare parts for mobile phones and 120,000 fake packing and manual books have been seized from telecommunication markets in Huaqiangbei since January.

"What those dishonest retailers did brought disgrace on the city and this would eventually affect the business district's prosperity," said He Guoping, director of the Huaqiangbei administration office. "It's time to crack down on the fake and shabby goods and rebuild our reputation."

Liu Zhenmiao, a sales manager from the telecommunication market, told the Shenzhen Daily that they have introduced prestigious mobile manufacturers such as Nokia, Lenovo, Konka, Sony Ericsson and Sony to the market following the crackdown, offering them half price rents for the first year.

"Our patrol party inspects the market twice a day, reporting any counterfeit cases to police and quality watchdogs," he said.

"As a result we have recorded a 60 percent drop in customer complaints during the past 11 months," said Liu.

However, he admitted nearly a fifth of the 2,700 retailing counters or shops in the market have been empty since the campaign started earlier this year. "The favorable rental price to attract prestigious retailers also costs us some 3 million yuan."

The local quality watchdog said in a press release that the crackdown is necessary for the market's long-term development.

Vice Mayor Zhuo Qinrui, officials with the local quality and technical supervision bureau, industrial and commercial administrative bureau and anti-counterfeit officers inspected the market yesterday.

Huaqiangbei is famed for its electronic and telecommunication products nationwide. Last year, more than 183 million people visited the area and spent nearly 30 billion yuan. There are currently 58 electronic and telecommunication shops and markets in Huaqiangbei, selling some 100,000 handset devices every day.

Editor: Donald