Sears Cancels Contract With Benetton

Sears, Roebuck & Co. terminated its contract with trendy clothing company Benetton under pressure from victims’ rights groups who objected to the Italian company’s ad campaign featuring death row inmates. Sears Chief Executive Arthur Martinez was outraged, as were many customers, at the ads, company spokesman Tom Nicholson said. The retailer ended its contract after Benetton agreed to allow Sears to preview future ads. Sears had previously said it would keep the contract under that condition but later said it would immediately pull Benetton-designed clothing from all its stores that had been selling the Benetton USA line. Benetton has said it stood by its ads and believed it had succeeded in “launching a national and global discussion on capital punishment.” Sears’ announcement came after groups picketed one of its stores in Houston and Benetton’s New York office. Sears, based in Hoffman Estates, Ill., introduced the Benetton USA line last fall to help boost lagging clothing sales. Benetton made that line exclusively for Sears.