SEARS <S> SUPPLIER SETTLE FTC LABELING CHARGES
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
said Sears, Roebuck and Co and Kellwood Co, a Sears supplier,
agreed to pay penalties of 200,000 dlrs each to settle 1981 
charges they misrepresented the amount of down filling in coats
they sold.
    The FTC said Sears and Kellwood also pledged to make
truthful advertising claims about the down and feather content
of their garments and to accurately disclose the type of
filling on the garments' labels.
    The FTC said Kellwood has not made or sold any down
garments since 1983.
    The FTC had charged in a 1981 complaint filed in federal
court that Sears and Kellwood mislabeled and falsely advertised
the down content of clothing made by Kellwood and sold by both
Sears and Kellwood.
    As is typical in such cases, the settlement terms did not
require either company to admit or deny the charges.
    The FTC vote to accept the settlement was 4-1.
    In a dissent, Commissioner Andrew Strenio argued that the
settlement terms held Sears to a lower standard than the rest
of the clothing industry.
 Reuter
