It’s always great news when a major retailer emerges from the dark ages and realizes that it’s not in its best interests to support the barbaric fur industry. And the bottom line here is that after extensive negotiations between PETA and bebe, the company has agreed to stop buying fur to sell in its stores—which means that no more animals will suffer for bebe’s clothing lines. So, hooray for that.

The bad news is that the company has refused to pull the fur from its racks until after the Holiday season, which means they get one more round of profits from promoting an industry that electrocutes animals and skins them alive. Which is why we’re asking consumers to refuse to shop at bebe this season in favor of compassionate retailers that either never sold fur or have already pulled it from their shelves (like, for instance, Ann Taylor, Charlotte Russe, Donna Karen, Express, Gap, H&M, J. Crew, Jones Apparel, Polo Ralph Lauren, Talbots, Tommy Hilfiger, Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal, or Zara).

So there you have it—it’s a bit lousy of bebe to continue to profit from fur sales over the next three months, but their decision to stop buying the stuff does make a big difference to the animals used by the fur industry, which now has one less major company to fuel their profits. A huge thank you to everyone who helped us out by contacting bebe about this issue during our negotiations!

…Speaking of which—if you haven’t contacted the folks at Burberry yet about their refusal to even acknowledge the horrors they’re funding by selling fur, please take a few moments to let Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts know what you think.

Bebe's recent announcement that it is going fur-free is nothing short of a cheap media stunt, since they're still planning to sell the skins of tortured bunnies through the winter. For the past year, we’ve been negotiating with the clothing retailer to pull the fur from their shelves, and today, in a clear attempt to stop a forthcoming boycott campaign, the company sent out a news release that they must have hoped would ward off protests. Unfortunately, while it's a step, it doesn't go far enough.

The rabbits killed to be made into cuffs and collars for bebe spend their entire lives in tiny, filthy cages, and die gruesome deaths at the hands of fur farmers, who break their necks or smash their skulls—more concerned about preserving the pelt than they are about the welfare of these tortured animals.

All of bebe's competitors have stopped selling fur including Ann Taylor, Charlotte Russe, Donna Karen, Express, Gap, H&M, J. Crew, Jones Apparel, Polo Ralph Lauren, Talbots, Tommy Hilfiger, Urban Outfitters, Wet Seal, Zara, and more. Plenty of choices for shopping this holiday season!

Please click here to contact bebe and ask that they pull the fur from their shelves immediately. Even one more day of bebe selling rabbit fur is too long.