Nordstrom Drops Ivanka Trump Brand From its Stores

Nordstrom said on Thursday that it had decided to put the brakes on its relationship with Ivanka 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 Ivanka Trump brand disputed Nordstrom’s assertion that it had not bought clothes for the coming season. The move comes amid an effort called the #GrabYourWallet campaign that encourages shoppers to boycott products with ties to President Trump, his family and his donors.

Total Retail's Take: I want to believe Nordstrom that the reason it's discontinuing its relationship with the Ivanka Trump brand is based purely on sales performance of the products, and not external pressures, but I'm skeptical. The negative PR associated with carrying Ms. Trump's products may have been more trouble than it was worth for the department store chain, particularly if the products (primarily women's shoes) weren't selling all that well. As Nordstrom stated in November when it defended its decision to sell Ivanka Trump-branded products, “We hope that offering a vendor’s products isn’t misunderstood as us taking a political position. We’re not.” I hope that is still the case.