Major chain in Canada pulls Ivanka Trump’s merchandise
OTTAWA, Ontario — Canada’s largest full-line department store chain, the Hudson’s Bay Co., has pulled clothing, shoes and other merchandise bearing Ivanka Trump’s fashion brand from its website and said it would wind down their sale in its stores across the country.
The move by the retailer, which also owns Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor in the United States, comes at a time when many Canadians say they are boycotting U.S. products because of President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum as well as his repeated insults of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The decision to drop the brand was reportedly made last fall.
More than 2,000 Canadians responded to a recent request from the New York Times for their reaction to Donald Trump’s actions with a mix of anger, betrayal, bafflement and sadness. Many of those people said they would go out of their way to keep U.S. products off their shopping lists.
Hudson’s Bay has also been targeted by several campaigns, including Grab Your Wallet, that urge consumers to stay away from retailers that offer Trump family merchandise.
Ivanka Trump’s merchandise vanished from the website of Hudson’s Bay on Friday. Its store in downtown Ottawa, however, continued to display several racks of Ivanka Trump brand clothing, and Canadian news media indicated that that was the case in other cities.
In a brief statement, Hudson’s Bay made no reference to boycotts and declined to comment on their effect. Instead, it suggested that Trump’s brand was not particularly successful.
“Hudson’s Bay is phasing out this brand through the fall based on its performance,” it said. “As part of our regular course of business, we review our merchandise offerings and make appropriate changes.”
Hudson’s Bay told the company that markets the Ivanka Trump brand last fall that it would be dropping its products, months before Canadian anger toward Donald Trump came to a boil because of his trade actions and his behavior following the Group of 7 summit meeting hosted by Trudeau.
While Ivanka Trump has resigned from her management roles at the company that bears her name, financial disclosures show that she made more than $5 million from it last year.