Sneaker and apparel retailers blindsided by tariffs on Asian factory hubs

(Reuters) -Prices of
Top U.S. brands like Nike have spent years shifting away from Chinese factories as political tensions between
Shares in Nike, Adidas and Puma dropped sharply after
"Companies that worked hard over the years to reduce reliance on
Shares in fast-fashion retailer H&M, which sources mainly from
Bernstein analyst
"For everybody else, I think the mitigation strategy short term will be to try to renegotiate supplier and vendor contracts, so kind of share the pain up and down the value chain," she said.
The new tariffs would increase the average U.S. import tariff rate on apparel from 14.5% in 2024 to 30.6%, according to calculations by
Based on 2024 import values, this would result in
Retailers may not be able to fully offset these tariffs, as countering the impact of the levies on
"With additional tariffs proposed across other key Asian sourcing hubs, the scenario of shifting production now looks far less viable, narrowing the set of effective mitigation levers available to brands," the UBS analysts added.
"Ultimately, someone will have to pay the price," the association said in a statement.
Nike produced half its footwear and roughly 30% of its apparel in
Shares of Nike dropped about 10% to their lowest since 2017 on Thursday, while Adidas tumbled 11% and Puma fell about 10%.
Rival sportswear makers, including Lululemon, Skechers, Under Armour, Deckers and On were down between 11% and 17%.
Nike and Adidas did not reply to requests for comment on the tariffs, while On said it was "constantly monitoring the evolving situation." Puma said it is evaluating the situation and "will react swiftly."
"Some companies might be able to change where they produce for the U.S. market, but that usually takes years, not days," said
(Reporting by
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