US retailers rush to save summer sales

Shipments delayed due to Trump tariffs

- CASEY HALL SIDDHARTH CAVALE

US retailers, including Walmart and several clothing brands, are racing to secure China-made merchandise for the busy summer shopping season starting in late May after Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily slash tariffs.

The agreement on Monday to lower US tariffs on shipments from China to 30% from 145% for the next three months prompted a restart in orders and shipments for sundresses, bathing suits, clogs and sunscreens from Chinese factories, according to logistics company Portless, which helps US e-commerce brands import goods from China via air.

“Once the tariff cut was announced, our clients said ‘we are in go-go-go mode,” said Izzy Rosenzweig, CEO of Portless, which counts swimwear brand Hapari, and bug repellent maker NatPat among its clients. “They said ‘let's restart production and let's restart shipping.”

US businesses largely rely on ocean shipping but that can take between 30 and 60 days for goods to reach the United States from China, depending on the destination and ship size, although orders for the summer can start in late winter or early spring to allow for the manufacturing of new designs, John Harmon, managing director of technology research at Coresight Research, said.