The footwear joins to press against tariffs. Companies such as Nike, Puma, Under Armor or the American subsidiary of Adidas have sent a joint letter to the president of the country, Donald Trump, asking to exclude the footwear from the articles affected by the tariffs. The sector warns that the measure, far from promoting national production, will cost the closing of hundreds of jobs and thousands of layoffs.
“Our industry is very vulnerable, and, with some of the highest tariffs, especially in children’s and low value footwear, This increase would be simply unsustainable”, Says the text. The sector figure between 20% and 37.5% only the tariffs that affect the first type of footwear, without the addition of reciprocal tariffs.
Countries like Vietnam and Indonesia, in fact, the main hubs of footwear production, they face some of the highest tariffs within the list made public by Trump now more than a month ago. “These tariffs will not boost footwear manufacturing in the United States -The companies continue; We would need a significant investment and years of work to change our value chain. ”
The footwear denounces that their products are already subject to higher tariffs than other sectors
-In the letter, in addition, companies ensure that the nature of the sector itself is another impediments that would endanger their subsistence in the case of tariff implementation. According to the text, Much of the Americans acquire footwear without any financial aidsuch as payment payment, so an increase in prices would leave many consumers without affordable options.
“There is a great concern about the imminent loss of work in the United States, the increase in consumer costs and the inherent fall of consumption, which will greatly damage our industry and the whole of the US economy,” adds companies.
The sector has written the letter Under the protection of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of Americaan American entity that brings together more than 80 companies in the sector In the country. The agency is present throughout the value chain, through the research, consulting or training of all the actors involved in the production. It is not the first collective request directed by the highest representatives of a sector to the President. Just a few days ago, the main companies in the American fashion industry directed Donald Trump a letter of similar characteristics.
