Announced Actions for April 19, 1996

Applications for prior approval of transactions: The FTC has received an application for prior approval of a divestiture from the following. The application will be subject to public comment for 30 days, until May 20.

• The Stop & Shop Companies, Inc., of Quincy, Massachusetts and SSC Associates, L.P. have requested approval to divest three Massachusetts supermarkets. A Purity Supreme supermarket in Kingston would be divested to Victory Distributors, Inc., and Purity stores in South Weymouth and Whitman would be sold to Foodmaster Supermarkets, Inc. The divestitures are required under a 1995 consent order settling charges that the Stop & Shop merger with Purity Supreme, Inc. would reduce supermarket competition, leading to reduced quality and selection and higher prices, in five areas of Massachusetts. The divestitures are designed to restore competition (see Nov. 1, 1995 news release for more detail regarding the 1995 consent order; Docket No. C-3649).
• Devro International PLC, based in Scotland, has requested approval to divest certain assets to Nitta Gelatin, Inc. of Japan. The divestiture--details of which are not being publicly disclosed as they contain confidential commercial information--are required under a 1995 consent order settling charges over Devro’s acquisition of Illinois-based Teepak International, Inc. The FTC alleged that the acquisition would combine the nation’s two top producers of collagen sausage casings and would raise prices for the casings in part because it would eliminate a key competitor. (See Dec. 5, 1995 news release for more detail regarding the consent order; Docket No. C-3650)
• Service Corporation International (SCI), of Houston, Texas has requested approval to divest Perl Funeral Home, Perl with Siskiyou Funeral Home and Siskiyou Memorial Park in Medford, Oregon, to Shirlee and Charles Kern. The divestitures are required under a 1995 consent agreement with SCI settling charges that SCI’s acquisition of Uniservice Corporation would lessen competition for funerals and perpetual care cemetery services in and around Medford. The divestiture is designed to restore competition. (See May 1, 1995 news release for more detail regarding the 1995 consent order; Docket No. C-3579)

Comments on applications should be addressed to the FTC, Office of the Secretary, 6th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. Copies of the documents referenced above are available from the FTC’s Public Reference Branch, Room 130, at the same address; 202-326-2222; TTY for the hearing impaired 1-866-653-4261. To find out the latest news as it is announced, call the FTC NewsPhone recording at 202- 326-2710. FTC news releases and other materials also are available on the Internet at the FTC’s World Wide Web site at: http://www.ftc.gov