Trump trade war with China and impact on retailers

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross arrives to the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse to attend a meeting with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He in Beijing.AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool

Trayton America

High Point, North Carolina

“Moving production to a new country is not a viable option in the upholstery business. This would come at an extremely high cost that would require an enormous amount of capital and time. And our company would effectively have to shut down our entire operation for several years. Consequently, we would have to lay off employees and incur heavy losses.” – Larry Little

Richloom Fabrics Group

New York, New York

“We have already seen the beginning of a slowdown in this industry as a result of the first two rounds of tariffs.” – Michael Saivetz

Four Hands

Austin, Texas

“The economic impact of an additional 10 percent duty on our products would have an immediate impact on our business. … As an initial response, we would implement austerity programs that would freeze hiring and wages and curtail discretionary spending. Our company has been growing rapidly and current plans call to expand our U.S. officers and warehouses in 2019. These plans would be placed on hold.” – Jerome Kearns

Homewerks Worldwide

Lake Bluff, Illinois

“…when we had this in wave one, we passed the price increase through and they raised the retail price. So, what this means is it will impact, likely impact, the lower income customers buying our opening price point and commodity faucets and valves and then they are most likely not to do a project.” – Peter Berkman

Max Home

Fulton, Misssissipi 

“This will not benefit U.S. producers, U.S. jobs or U.S. furniture. On the contrary, it will eliminate U.S. jobs and shift the majority, if not all of the production processes, oversees.” -Martin Silver

Delivery workers pull carts loaded boxes of goods for their customers outside an office building in Beijing.AP Photo/Andy Wong

Camp Chef

Hyde Park, Utah

“Our customers don’t have a lot of room in their budgets to absorb an extra ten or even 25 percent … What does that achieve? Ordinary Americans will no longer be able to afford grilling before the big game or camping in the woods with their friends and family. Who’s to benefit? Honestly, it’s not clear to us.” – Brandon Sparrow

Evenflo Company

Miamisburg, Ohio

“For the foreseeable future, there is no country that we can turn to for sourcing imports of these products, which means consumers will bear the financial burden of the increased duties.” – Joe Calabrese

Illinois Auto Truck Company

Des Plaines, Illinois

“Our case is clearly one where the trade dispute between the United States and China, along with the increased tariffs, would only hurt small companies, such as Illinois Auto Truck, a dedicated United States-based supplier and employer for almost 80 years.” – Richard Stein

Breathable Baby

Minnetonka, Minnesota

“If we cannot make mesh crib liners in China, we cannot bring them to market. The damage to our company and the babies and parents that comprise our market will do nothing to change China’s intellectual property practices.” – Steven Marton

Step2 Discovery

Streetsboro, Ohio

“As a medium-sized U.S. company, the proposed tariffs would likely cause a domino effect down the entire value chain, ultimately impacting our entire family of companies.” – Anthony Ciepiel

U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, second from left, and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, fourth right, attend a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing.AP Photo/Andy Wong, Pool

SOG Specialty Knives & Tools

Lynwood, Washington

“The [a]dministrative motivations are understandable. But respectively, we must wonder if this process is beginning to spin out of control … Our concern is that the list of targeted products is now including consumer items, including tools used by the working people and sportsmen.” – Darren Dunn

Jlab Audio

Carlsbad, California

“It’s heartbreaking to me that the government that is there to protect us is threatening my livelihood and the livelihood of my team members. … the proposed imposition of tariffs on products that make up 80 percent of our business would be catastrophic. We would be immediately forced to lay off 12 percent of our employees with more to follow.” – Win Cramer

Arnold’s Office Furniture

Bridgeport, Pennsylvania

“Our customers would never allow us to raise our prices as much as 25 percent all at one time. We would be forced to close the business after close to 90 years. … I don’t know of many businesses, if any, that can sustain a 25 percent cost of goods and survive. And I’ve talked to a lot of people in the community. And this is all we’ve been talking about for the last couple of months.” – Jay Berkowitz

Rebecca Minkoff

New York, New York

“The tariffs punish the wrong people, including the American consumer, and leave the playing field wide open for bad actors to continue to sell fake products using our IP. The problem isn’t Chinese manufacturing. Handbags aren’t high tech.” – Rebecca Minkoff

MECO Corporation

Greenville, Tennessee

“China must be given an incentive to stop injuring our U.S. manufacturing facility, preserve our current employment level, and create more jobs for our communities.” – Mark Proffitt

Standard Textile Company

Cincinnati, Ohio

“I’m here today to speak on behalf of our four hundred hard working, dedicated American textile workers in Union, South Carolina and Thomaston, Georgia whose jobs are threatened by the proposed tariffs on unbleached cotton fabric.” – Kim Heiman

A row of washing machines for sale at Lowe’s Home Improvement store in East Rutherford, N.J.AP/Ted Shaffrey

Graco Children’s Products

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

“While we acknowledge the administration’s overall policy interests, putting tariffs on imported children’s safety goods may have unintended consequences on child safety that we believe would be harmful.” – Russ Torres

Wilderness Trail Bikes

Mill Valley, California

“Putting additional tariffs on bicycle components from China will cede the U.S. market to foreign competitors who produce their goods in countries other than China.” – Patrick Seidler

Huffy Corporation

Dayton, Ohio

“As I stated earlier the proposed tariff is a serious threat to Huffy, the over 200 people directly employed by Huffy, and the thousands upon thousands of Americans employed by our industry. Simply, our industry has no immediate viable alternatives to using China as our main source.” – Bill Smith

Central California Truck and Trailer Sales

Sacramento, California

“If these tariffs are put into place, it will result in an immediate 15 to 20 percent drop in sales. In addition, a 10 to 15 percent of our workforce will be impacted with layoffs or decreased hours.” – Warren Auwae

Power Stop

Bedford Park, Illinois

“My point today is straightforward. The imposition of 25 percent tariffs on imports of brake rotors and brake pads will serve no role in accomplishing the objectives of Section 301 investigation but rather will simply harm individual auto owners who could least afford an unexpected expense and thereby quite possibly lead to more accidents, layoffs, and make roads less safe.” – Arvin Scott

Surfaces Southeast

Miami, Florida

“The proposed 25 percent tariff will greatly impact and possibility gravely injure our small- to medium-sized businesses … For example, in my company’s case, the proposed 25 percent tariff is over 100 percent of my current payroll and is a severe threat to my business.” – Paul Young

A TV retailer in China.AP/Andy Wong

Alton Industry

Batavia, Illinois

“We are intent on expanding our facility here in the U.S. … This new facility will allow us to assemble our products domestically. But still have to source major components from China that are subject to this tariff. If these tariffs are implemented on our business, we will have to reevaluate this investment and bringing more jobs back to the USA.” – Michael Roach

Foreign Parts Distributor

Hialeah, Florida

“If 25 percent tariffs were implemented on these products imported from China, there would be destructive consequences to my company, its employees and the greater automotive aftermarket industry.” – Kevin Feig

Evenflo Feeding

West Chester, Ohio

“Since we cannot relocate production to avoid the additional duty, that means someone will have to absorb the cost. If it is passed to the consumer, this will be a young mother trying to make ends meet. Either she won’t be able to afford a manual breast pump, which is the most affordable option, or we may no longer be able to offer one in the U.S. market.” – Elaine Bobbey

Display Supply & Lighting

Itasca, Illinois 

“A 25 percent ad valorem duty wipes out our gross profit margin. It would put us out of business.” – Rob Cohen

Align Hospitality Furnishings

Signal Hill, California

“The threat posed to this small U.S. business by the proposed 25 percent additional tariff is disproportionate. This industry is highly competitive, and Align would not be able to pass this additional cost on to its customers.” – Joseph Spraragen

Hooker Furniture Corporation

Martinsville, Virginia

“Hooker has weathered some of the most arduous time periods in our nation’s history. We have survived, overcome, adapted, and thrived for nearly 95 years, yet, I do not exaggerate when I say the new Section 301 tariffs on products from China are the single greatest threat to Hooker’s business.” – Douglas Townsend