HIGH POINT — In the Trump administration’s ever-changing tariff environment, most case good suppliers seem to be waiting for concrete decisions to be made before they themselves opt for any moves.
For New Classic and Steve Silver, for example, China is still a resource but has been winding down for some time. Vietnam is a top resource for both, as well as other Asian countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Both believe new 10% China tariffs aren’t a big concern, and neither are planning any significant moves at this moment.
“Other than China, which we have already worked through the new tariffs with our current suppliers, we are in wait and see for the other Asian countries we deal with,” said Scott Hill, president of sales at New Classic. “Obviously, a lot of pieces and raw materials used in other countries are sourced from China, which I’m sure will have some impact on pricing sooner rather than later.”
Ian Geltner, vice president of sales at Steve Silver, was more specific.
“We’ve already moved a lot of stuff out, and the stuff we still have there —mainly marble dining — can have the 10% tariff worked out with our vendors. We don’t want to do further panic moves out of China just in case Vietnam ends up getting hit too. The product we still have in China is consistent, so I’d rather leave it there.
“If Vietnam were to get hit, we have backup plans,” he continued. “We have backups in Indonesia, and we have some stuff coming from Mexico, too. There’s no really good answer to avoid all of it. Whoever reacts best will win.”
Hill at New Classic says Vietnam and Malaysia remain the company’s top choices for the foreseeable future.
“We source all our goods in Asia and have relationships going back 25 years with some of these owners and factories,” he said. “Vietnam and Malaysia are our two largest countries of origin for case goods and motion furniture.
“We are continually looking at other countries to source goods but are careful when going into other countries as there are a lot of other things in play besides just buying product.”
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