Two boutiques are at war in one of Australia’s trendiest suburbs because they claim one is imitating the other.
Hands, a well-established lifestyle store, has been operating in Newtown, in Sydney’s inner west, for the past two years.
Sharing recently opened 500 meters away and has already been accused of selling “counterfeit copies and fraudulent versions” of products sold at Hands.
“This has been a nightmare for us,” Hands’ owners said in an Instagram post.
Hands, an established lifestyle store that has been open for two years, on Wednesday accused Sharing, a new store in the area, of copying it.
Hands’ comparison photos prompted concerned comments from dozens of buyers.
‘From when our friends and customers first told us there was a shop on King St that copied and pasted us, to finding out how far the copying actually went.
‘We couldn’t believe someone would do this, and the more we learned, the more disbelief we felt. The ‘Sharing’ store has copied the colours, the equipment, the furniture, the website design and the brands we sell – our whole concept.’
The small store shared several photos comparing the two boutiques.
They showed that Sharing had furniture and products similar to Hands.
“The more we find out, the more unfair it seems,” Hands said.
‘Through the blood, sweat and tears of Building Hands, nothing has made us feel so truly sad and in disbelief.
‘Sharing, we didn’t agree to share anything with you.’
Sharing responded to the allegations and suggested that Hands had actually copied its name and brand from Japanese department store Hands.
The Japanese store does not have a presence in Australia and was renamed Tokyu Hands to Hands at the end of 2022.
—What position are you in to say that others steal? Share said.
‘We haven’t even officially opened and they are already harassing us. Why do you claim that we sell fakes when you have no proof?
‘We are very sad! We’ll focus on our business!’
While Sharing disabled comments on its post, Hands’ comparison generated concerned comments from dozens of shoppers.
Sharing recently opened 500 meters away and has already been accused of selling “counterfeit copies and fraudulent versions” of products sold at Hands.
Hands shared several photos comparing his store and Sharing’s, which is 500 meters away.
Hands accused Sharing of selling ‘counterfeit copies and fraudulent versions of our brands’ and of copying its brand.
Hands and Sharing boutiques are just 500 meters from each other in Newtown, inner Sydney.
‘The exact tables and the green sign are crazy, what were they thinking?’ one wrote.
‘I would just say ‘coincidence’ but this combination of similarities is alarming. Is this not right and they are in the same suburb? The audacity!’ said another.
Shared owner Ying Liu said ABC Radio they just wanted to be successful as a small business.
‘If Hands feels uncomfortable she (sic) can contact us directly. We will focus on our own business to satisfy everyone,” she stated.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Hands and Sharing for further comment.