The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has conducted a major search and seizure operation at a key FirstCry warehouse in South India, seizing nearly Rs 1.43 crore worth of toys, sippers, and other products allegedly sold without the mandatory BIS certification.
The warehouse, operated by Brainbees Solutions Private Limited—the parent company of baby products retailer FirstCry—was raided on May 27 following "credible information" that the firm was violating the BIS Act, 2016, and Quality Control Orders (QCOs) issued by the Government of India.
BIS officials discovered that several products were stored and sold with forged or misused ISI marks. A total of 36,924 units spanning 33 product varieties were seized during the operation, which was led by BIS Director Vinodini Kishore. These items allegedly lacked valid BIS licenses, a mandatory requirement under India’s quality control norms.
Under the QCO regime, specific categories of products—especially those for children such as toys, feeding bottles, and sippers—must comply with Indian safety and quality standards and carry a valid BIS license. Selling or storing uncertified products is a criminal offence under the BIS Act.
This raid signals increased scrutiny of the compliance standards of e-commerce players, especially in sensitive categories like child care. Over the past few years, the Indian government has tightened quality enforcement through QCOs across sectors ranging from electronics to footwear, with children's products being a particular focus after rising safety concerns.
BIS has urged consumers to verify the authenticity of products by checking for the ISI mark and license number, and using the BIS CARE app for further validation.
FirstCry, one of India’s largest online retailers for children’s products, reported a net loss of Rs 111.5 crore for the fourth quarter of FY25, which widened compared to Rs 43.2 crore a year ago, company filing said on May 26. FirstCry had reported a loss of Rs 14.7 crore in the previous quarter.
Loss for the full financial year, however, narrowed by 18 percent to Rs 264.8 crore in FY25, compared to a loss of Rs 321.5 crore in the previous year.
The firm's revenue from operations rose 16 percent on year to Rs 1,930.3 crore in Q4FY25, up from Rs 1,668.9 crore last year. The revenue fell 11 percent compared to Rs 2,172.3 crore in the previous quarter.
Growth in the March quarter was impacted by a slowdown in offline sales, which the management termed a “temporary blip.” Gross merchandise value (GMV) from offline channels stood at Rs 466.9 crore in Q4 FY25, up marginally from Rs 443 crore in the year-ago period.
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