OTHER NEWS - Aug. 9, 1996

FTC Tells Laura Ashley to Clean Up Its Act: The Federal Trade Commission is taking clothing maker Laura Ashley Inc. to the cleaners. The company agreed to pay a $60,000 civil penalty for failing to tell customers how to clean its products. Under FTC rules, clothing labels must include written instructions for at least one satisfactory method of care--washing or cleaning--for the garment. According to the FTC complaints, Laura Ashley provided only symbols or pictographs and not written instructions in numerous instances. Laura Ashley, a Massachusetts-based subsidiary of the British firm Laura Ashley Holdings, agreed to the penalty and promised not to violate the rule again.