RETAILER ACCUSED BY FTC : TOYS `R' US SUBJECT OF ANTITRUST CASE.Byline: Christopher Drew The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times In an unusual 3-2 split vote, the Federal Trade Commission charged Wednesday that Toys ``R'' Us, the world's largest toy retailer, had illegally pressured manufacturers since 1989 to quit selling some of their hottest toys, ranging from Barbie dolls Barbie doll popular dress-up doll; extremely conventional and feminine. [Am. Hist.: Sann, 179] See : Fads to G.I. Joe's, through warehouse clubs that offer steep discounts. The two dissenting dis·sent intr.v. dis·sent·ed, dis·sent·ing, dis·sents 1. To differ in opinion or feeling; disagree. 2. To withhold assent or approval. n. 1. votes came from commissioners appointed by President Bush and could signal some uneasiness with the agency's recent aggressive approach to enforcing antitrust laws antitrust laws n. acts adopted by Congress to outlaw or restrict business practices considered to be monopolistic or which restrain interstate commerce. The Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 declared illegal "every contract, combination.... . Toys ``R'' Us, based in Paramus, N.J., insisted that it did nothing wrong, and the company Wednesday accused the government of stretching the law and vowed to vigorously contest the allegations. In essence, the FTC FTC See Federal Trade Commission (FTC). charged that Toys ``R'' Us, which pioneered discounting in the toy industry 20 years ago, had forced consumers nationwide to pay higher prices by using its current marketing power to shut out nettlesome competitors. The agency said that the company, which accounts for more than 20 percent of the $19 billion worth of toys sold annually in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , demanded that toy makers refrain from selling some of their most popular products to the discount clubs, led by the 230-store Price/Costco chain, and that it refused to sell those toys if the toy makers did not comply. Shares of Toys ``R'' Us, which operates 650 stores in the United States, were down 75 cents to 29-1/8. |
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