Vendors Advertise Tariff-Free Products at Housewares Trade Show
In Chicago, worries about the new trade war popped up in conversations across the Inspired Home Show, where houseware companies selling Canadian-made cutting boards and Chinese-made glassware tried to lure new customers. A couple of vendors displayed signs advertising the fact that their products weren’t affected by Trump’s new tariffs.
Brian Horowitz, chief executive of outdoor goods maker Creative Wagons, posted a “No Tariffs” sign outside his booth to highlight the fact that 90% of the company’s products are made in Vietnam. Creative Wagons shifted production there from China four years ago, Horowitz said.
“Vietnam has been the best thing I’ve ever done,” he said, citing stronger intellectual property protections and a quicker time to market.