£2m was imposed on B&M Retail Ltd after the retailer pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates' Court to food hygiene offences at three city stores. The sentence, handed down on 13 July 2026, also requires B&M to pay prosecution costs of £18,104 and a £2,000 victim surcharge, each sum due within 28 days. Birmingham City Council brought the prosecutions after inspections found mouse droppings, gnawed food and urine contamination where packaged food and children's toys were on display. The council used Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices to close the premises while public-health risks were addressed.

£2m was the headline penalty imposed at the sentencing hearing on 13 July 2026, after B&M Retail Ltd pleaded guilty at Birmingham Magistrates' Court.

The magistrates fined the company £2m and ordered payments of prosecution costs of £18,104 plus a £2,000 victim surcharge. All sums were ordered to be paid within 28 days of the 13 July hearing. B&M entered guilty pleas to the food hygiene offences that formed the basis of the prosecutions.

Which stores were involved and what did inspectors find?

Inspectors from Birmingham City Council examined three branches in the city: the St Andrews Retail Park store, the Priory Square Shopping Centre store and The Fort Shopping Park store. Officers found evidence of active mouse infestations at each site, including droppings and gnawed food products. At Priory Square they recorded urine contamination on food packaging and shelving, and at The Fort they found droppings near children's toys. The inspections also noted inadequate cleaning standards and structural defects that allowed pests to enter.

The council's environmental health service first visited the St Andrews store on 11 November 2024 after reports of pests. The Priory Square inspection took place on 22 January 2025 following a member of the public report, and the Fort branch was inspected on 27 October 2025 after a further complaint. Given the scale of the findings, the council issued Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices and ordered immediate closures where public-health risks were judged to be serious.

Birmingham City Council's environmental health service brought the prosecutions that led to the guilty pleas and the fine. B&M said in a statement: The use of emergency prohibition notices reflected the council's assessment that the findings posed serious risks to public health.

Beyond the headline fine, the company faces a legal bill of £18,104 and the £2,000 victim surcharge, all payable within the 28-day deadline set by the court. The immediate practical consequence was compulsory closure of the three affected stores while remediation and pest control were carried out under council supervision. This conviction will remain on the company's legal record and is likely to shape follow-up inspections and enforcement attention by local authorities.

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B&M must pay the fine, costs and victim surcharge within 28 days of the 13 July hearing; the three stores were closed under Hygiene Emergency Prohibition Notices while council-supervised remediation took place.

This article was created with AI assistance.