Federal Trade Commission staff closed an investigation into Office Depot’s “Made in USA” claims for some of its private-brand desks, according to an April 13, 2015, closing letter.
What happened
In a submission dated April 1, 2015, Office Depot told the FTC that it had inadvertently made misleading Made in USA claims for certain private-brand desks. The company had moved production of the desks overseas but did not remove the USA-origin claims from its website.
Office Depot’s fixes
The FTC letter said Office Depot had put a remedial plan in place that included:
- removing the inaccurate claims from its website
- reviewing catalogs, signage, packaging and social media content for the affected products
- reviewing online descriptions for all products
- having legal staff review weekly reports on items whose production shifted from USA to non-USA manufacturers
- increasing legal review of its USA-origin claims
Based on those statements, FTC staff attorney Julia Solomon Ensor wrote that the staff would not pursue the investigation further. The letter said the decision should not be read as a finding that there was no violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act, and the Commission reserved the right to take further action.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel noted that the inquiry was separate from the FTC’s antitrust review of Office Depot’s proposed $6.3 billion merger with Staples.
Source & credit
Source: Federal Trade Commission: Closing letter to Office Depot, Inc., April 13, 2015.
Additional reporting: South Florida Sun-Sentinel: “FTC ends ‘Made in USA’ inquiry into Office Depot”, April 15, 2015.