Eddie Bauer Quits Using Burmese Plants

Sportswear retailer Eddie Bauer announced Thursday it will stop using factories in Burma, saying growing opposition to trade with the country’s military regime threatened its business.

The company - a subsidiary of Downers Grove, Ill.-based Spiegel Inc. - will not renew its contracts with Burmese factories when they expire later this year, company spokeswoman Cheryl Engstrom said.

Eddie Bauer joins Liz Claiborne, Levi Strauss, Reebok International and Smith & Hawkins, who also have suspended their operations in Burma.