Nordstrom Drops Ivanka Trump Line, Raising Questions Of Politics
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Remember Ivanka Trump selling her products at Nordstrom?
"Don't forget to go to Nordstrom.com to see them all, the whole collection," she once said in a video.
No more.
Later this year Nordstrom is dropping all Trump's products, saying, "We've said all along we make buying decisions based on performance."
"Each year we cut about 10% and refresh our assortment with about the same amount. In this case, based on the brand's performance we've decided not to buy it for this season.
Nordstrom denies making a political decision, but a group called #GrabYourWallet has urged a total boycott of Trump family products.
"I don't think they did it for a political reason," Prof. Elaine Luther of Point Park University told KDKA money & politics editor Jon Delano.
"I think they are already feeling the effects of people refusing to buy those products, so they're making an economic decision."
But the Nordstrom decision could backfire, says Prof. Audrey Gusky of Duquesne University.
"I believe that Trump supporters can be possibly boycotting Nordstrom and shopping to another high scale retailer."
Whether Nordstrom's decision was the result of a boycott threat or whether it leads to a boycott of Nordstrom by Trump supporters, the fact is there's plenty of places to buy Ivanka Trump products, certainly online and at some stores like Marshalls.
Rosemary Young, senior director of marketing at the Ivanka Trump brand, says sales were up in 2016, adding, "The women behind the brand represent a diverse group of professionals and we are proud to say that the Ivanka Trump brand continues to embody the principles upon which it was founded."
Luther thinks the boycott is justified because Ivanka has left her business for the White House.
"She stepped into the political arena," says Luther.
But Gusky thinks Nordstrom acted too quickly.
"Perhaps Nordstrom jumped too fast, made a poor decision," she says.
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