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JESSUP, Md. – A proposed 10% tariff on Chinese mattresses and home furnishings would hurt U.S. consumers, according to Michael Zippelli, CEO of specialty mattress producer Classic Brands.
Those consumers, most of whom already operate on tight household budgets, could be pushed out of the market due to increases that are certain to be passed on to them for mattresses and other home furnishings, he said.
“This issue has the potential to negatively impact the entire industry, but overall consumers will be the ones most harmed by this 10% tariff,” Zippelli said. “A complete consumer group will be priced out of the market because it will no longer be able to afford basic items needed to furnish homes. In addition, mattress manufacturers and retailers will be faced with higher prices and an unstable supply chain, and that will hurt sales across the home furnishings industry.”
Classic sources and manufactures with vendor partners in China.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently announced an additional round of tariffs on $200 billion in consumer goods from China. The new list includes mattresses and other home furnishings categories, including upholstery, lighting and textiles. The new tariffs follow a previous wave earlier this summer that impacted steel and aluminum and could go into effect as early as this fall, officials said.
Zippelli said he believes the disruptions would be similar to 2005, when anti-dumping duties on Chinese wood bedroom furniture were implemented after a petition was filed by several furniture manufacturers who had U.S. factories.
“That business never came back to the U.S., and there was upheaval throughout the supply chain while retailers scrambled to find factories in other countries who could make wood bedroom furniture,” Zippelli said. “It wasn’t a healthy situation then and will only serve as a major irritant to retailers today if this tariff is implemented on mattresses and other imported products.”
He said companies supporting the tariffs may be in for a rude awakening.
“Ultimately, the companies in favor of the tariffs think they will save their business,” Zippelli said. “They may see six months of disruption; that’s it. But watch out for the angry merchant whose supply chain was just disrupted. Once the tariff is in place, domestic players will use every means possible to raise pricing. Hang on because prices on everything from foam to springs to finished mattresses are going to go up.”
Classic Brands’ strategy for weathering any Chinese tariff is to rely on its redundant capacity in U.S. facilities in Maryland and California, as well as in other countries, to ensure the supply chain for its retail partners isn’t disrupted, the company said.
“We’ll continue to be the low-cost producer in the marketplace backed by our suppliers, who refuse to be held hostage by politics,” Zippelli said.
Click here to see the latest list of furniture-related items covered by the proposed tariffs on Chinese imports. Furniture Today will continue to update this list as more details are released. Check it out!
