Steven Madden to slash sourcing from China on tariff worries under Trump

Steven Madden executives said Thursday the shoe maker was working quickly to shift product sourcing out of China to other countries after Donald Trump’s presidential election victory.

In February, Trump said if he came to power, he would impose tariffs on China again, which could exceed 60%, putting a lot of strain on retail companies that heavily rely on imports from the region.

Steven Madden executives said on a post earnings call the company had already been working on the potential scenario that would lead it to move goods out of China more quickly, and been developing factory bases in other countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Mexico and Brazil.

Tariffs on China would put a lot of strain on Steven Madden and other retail companies that heavily rely on imports. REUTERS

China flag — Steven Madden executives said the company was already working on plans to move goods out of China more quickly. AP

“Just under half of our current business would be potentially subject to tariffs on Chinese imports (if Trump decides to impose tariffs when he takes office in January),” a company executive said.

“Our goal over the next year is to reduce the percentage of goods we source from China by approximately 40% to 45%,” the executive added.

Shares of Steven Madden rose 3.1% to $45.60 on Thursday.