So, What Are Retailers Doing With All Those Tariff Refunds?
Billions of dollars’ worth of refunds have been issued, and America’s retailers have used
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Don’t Count Shein Out, Yet
The business world thinks Shein’s recent Hong Kong IPO —which valued the Chinese ecommerce fashion giant at only a quarter of its 2022 high—is a sign of the company’s downfall. While Shein probably should have listed in Hong Kong years earlier, observers are wrong to see Shein’s stock market debut as a failure; more likely it is a new beginning.
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Surviving the Latest Trade War … With Canada
And just like that, we seem to be at war with our closest neighbor, best ally, and first or second-biggest trading partner (depending on how you do the math). Now who’s to blame?
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The China Tariff Punishment Failed
The latest sourcing choice for U.S. importers? Surprise! It’s China. The Trump tariffs were supposed to punish China by driving American companies to shift their buying to other countries. It hasn’t quite worked out that way. So, it’s back to the tariff future.
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An Economist’s Warning on Shifts Impacting Holiday 2026
Join Shelley and Dan Altman, author of the High Yield Economics newsletter, as they unpack why the K-shaped economy is persisting, and why diversified supply chains and revenue streams are a survival strategy for retail leaders.
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The New DMZ
The boom and bust of Korea’s AI-fuelled financial markets could be foreshadowing a wider global meltdown. The way its digital natives are dealing with their reversed fortunes could also be a leading indicator of how the rest of the world’s consumers will cope.
EU Dispatch: European Luxury Feels the Heat
Fashion brands are facing the prospect of higher inventory costs thanks to an EU ban on destroying unsold apparel, accessories and footwear. As of July 19, large companies are now prohibited from incinerating or sending unsold products to landfill. Why major brands ever thought this was morally justifiable is another question. The new rules also cover customer returns and force fashion retailers to prioritize selling products through discounts or alternative markets, donating them or preparing them for reuse.
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Shein: The Robin Report Retail Miss of the Week, 8.1.26
Shein, the Chinese-origin online seller of trinkets and baubles, first came on the U.S. scene in 2017, and then really exploded in the early 2020s. It sent shockwaves through a whole genre of American apparel and gift retailers who couldn’t compete with its fast—and impressively cheap—business model.
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EU’s Backlash Against Asia
Asia’s infatuation with Western expansion has hit a few speed bumps. EU legislators and watchdogs have put guardrails in place against the proliferation of cheap, unsustainable imports, and brands are devising production alternatives to dependence on Chinese manufacturing. Consumer sentiment is changing, and questions have been raised about whether the Chinese model is durable in the long term.
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Russian Retail Is Tanking
Vacancy rates in shopping malls could rise to nearly 10 percent over the remainder of the year as Russia’s ill-conceived war continues to hit the home front. The market has given way to a long-term malaise that puts Russian consumers in a bind, although many international geopolitical critics will shed no tears.
Russian Retail Is Tanking Read More »