US luxury department store chain Nordstrom is winding down its relationship with the controversial Ivanka Trump brand after boycott threats and concerns about the first daughter's conflicts of interest.
The retailer is reducing the amount of Ivanka Trump merchandise it stocks, though some inventory may remain for now, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
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Ivanka Trump brand in promotional misfire
Ivanka Trump Fine Jewelry has come under fire after the company sent out a "style alert" about an expensive bracelet the president-elect's daughter wore during an interview with 60 Minutes.
The department store chain said on Thursday that it had decided to put the brakes on its relationship with Ms Trump and removed her brand from a list on its site. "We've said all along we make buying decisions based on performance," Nordstrom said in a statement. "In this case, based on the brand's performance, we've decided not to buy it for this season," referring to the spring.
A spokesman for the brand disputed Nordstrom's assertion that it had not bought clothes for the coming season.
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Nordstrom has come under fire from the Grab Your Wallet campaign, a critic of the administration that is asking shoppers to boycott retailers that carry Ivanka Trump or Donald Trump goods. Ivanka's business also has drawn criticism for blurring the lines between brand promotion and politics.
Her company sent a "style alert" to journalists in November promoting a gold bracelet that she wore during an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes" program.
Ivanka Trump is no longer listed among brands on Nordstrom's website, but the company still lists some items on its Rack site, the department store's value-focused chain. The Racked fashion website reported on Thursday that the products had begun disappearing from Nordstrom's e-commerce selection.
"I am absolutely thrilled, and I know the vast majority of Grab Your Wallet participants will be as well," said Shannon Coulter, a co-founder of Grab Your Wallet.
Big news everyone. You did this. I am in awe. https://t.co/q9vwmyfpbn
— Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter) February 2, 2017
'If people don't buy it, we won't sell it'
Nordstrom was one of the first retail partnerships for Ivanka Trump's footwear after it was launched in 2011. Marc Fisher Footwear, a closely held shoe company, is the licensee for the products. Despite the Nordstrom setback, Ivanka Trump's brand continues to push into new categories: It recently added baby bedding and fashion jewellery.
Co-President Pete Nordstrom addressed the controversy surrounding the partnership in a November e-mail to employees, according to Fortune. He said the company had heard from customers threatening to boycott the chain if they continued or discontinued its relationship with Trump.
"This is a sharply divisive subject," he said. "No matter what we do, we are going to end up disappointing some of our customers. Every single brand we offer is evaluated on their results -- if people don't buy it, we won't sell it."
In November, the company posted a response on Twitter to a shopper's open letter calling for Nordstrom to stop selling the brand.
"We hope that offering a vendor's products isn't misunderstood as us taking a political position; we're not," the company said at the time.
"We recognize our customers can make choices about what they purchase based on personal views and we'll continue to give them options."
Ms Trump licenses her name to partners who manufacture her various branded products. Her brand makes the largest share of its revenue from licensed clothing. Shoes and handbags are also large parts of her business.Â
Bloomberg/The New York Times
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