Burbank, FTC Officials Meet on Threat to Towncenter

A delegation of three Burbank city officials and a consultant for the proposed Towncenter shopping mall will meet with members of the Federal Trade Commission in Washington today to protest the threatened withdrawal from the mall of J. W. Robinson’s department store.

Mayor Mary E. Kelsey, Councilman Robert R. Bowne, City Manager Bud Ovrom and consultant Gerald Trimble will confer with the five FTC commissioners in separate meetings, Kelsey said.

The May Co., which has proposed merging with Associated Dry Goods, the parent company of Robinson’s stores, disclosed last month that it would remove Robinson’s as one of the mall’s four anchor retailers if the merger, which requires federal approval, goes through.

The city has asked the FTC to do whatever it takes to prevent Robinson’s withdrawal.

After meeting with the commissioners, the delegation plans to go to Pittsburgh on Wednesday to talk with city officials there.

Merger Under Review

The FTC has been reviewing the effect of the merger on competition in several markets, including Pittsburgh, where city officials filed suit last week in U. S. District Court seeking a preliminary injunction against the merger. A hearing is set for Sept. 24.

Burbank officials also have considered filing legal action against the merger.

Kelsey said the remaining three anchor stores are still re-evaluating their commitments to the mall, which has been planned since 1971, in light of the threatened withdrawal of Robinson’s. She said the developer of the mall, the Ernest W. Hahn Co., is trying to find another department store to take Robinson’s place.

Because of the trip, the Burbank City Council, which usually meets Tuesday, will meet on Thursday.