Housewares retailer Williams-Sonoma must pay nearly $3.2 million in fines for violating the Federal Trade Commission’s “Made in USA” order.
NEW YORK — Housewares retailer Williams-Sonoma will have to pay approximately $3.2 million for violating the Federal Trade Commission’s “Made in USA” order.
Williams-Sonoma is accused of advertising products as “Made in the USA” when they were actually made in other countries, including China. This violated a 2020 commission order that required the San Francisco-based company to be honest about whether its products were actually manufactured in the United States.
The FTC announced Friday that Williams-Sonoma agreed to a settlement that includes a civil penalty of $3.175 million. According to the commission, this is the largest civil penalty ever awarded in a “Made in the USA” case.
“Williams-Sonoma’s deception misled consumers and harmed an honest American company,” FTC Chair Lina M. Khan said in a statement. “We have made it clear that companies that commit crimes will not be given a free pass.”
In addition to paying the fine, sellers of cookware and household goods will be required to submit annual compliance reports, according to the FTC. The settlement also imposes and strengthens a number of requirements regarding the manufacturing claims the company can assert.
Williams-Sonoma did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
In 2020, the FTC accused Williams-Sonoma of falsely advertising several product lines under its Goldtouch, Rejuvenation, Pottery Barn Teen, and Pottery Barn Kids brands as all or substantially all made in the United States. filed a complaint as The company subsequently agreed to an FTC order to stop making these deceptive claims.
The complaint, which was settled this week, was filed by the Department of Justice following a referral from the FTC. According to the filing, the FTC claims that Williams-Sonoma advertises its PBTeen brand mattress pads as being “manufactured” in the U.S. using domestic and imported materials, even though they are manufactured in China. I discovered something.
The FTC said it subsequently investigated six other products Williams-Sonoma sold as “Made in the USA” and found those claims were also false and in violation of the 2020 order. Ta.
