That's what Donaldsons told its staff; now, there's a `snag' // Carson's buys Minn. retailer

A Minneapolis-based department store chain Wednesday announcedthat Chicago's Carson Pirie Scott & Co. had acquired it, but laterclaimed the deal was not final.

Though Donaldsons announced the acquisition to its 3,600employees, spokeswoman Karen Buchanan Wednesday evening saidnegotiations "hit some type of snag." She declined to elaborate, andher denial came minutes after she had been informed that Carson'sChairman Peter S. Willmott declined to confirm the purchase.

"There are a lot of rumors in the market about Carson's and Donaldsons," Willmott said in a brief telephoneinterview. "We don't respond to rumors."

But earlier, Buchanan and a source at …