Nordstrom will no longer sell Ivanka Trump-brand clothing and shoes, according to a company statement.
The decision comes after protests from #GrabYourWallet, an anti-Trump movement that started after the recording of President Donald Trump bragging about grabbing a woman’s genitals was released. #GrabYourWallet maintains a list of retailers that carry Trump products as well as businesses that are owned by the Trump family.
According to Nordstrom, the decision was a result of poor performance.
“We’ve said all along we make buying decisions based on performance,” the company said in a statement. “In this case, based on the brand’s performance, we’ve decided not to buy it for this season.”
The company will sell the remainder of the Trump products already in its inventory. A list of brands on Nordstrom’s website no longer includes Ivanka Trump; a search of her name brings up four pairs of shoes, all of which are being sold at marked-down prices.
Shannon Coulter, a co-founder of #GrabYourWallet, said in an email to The Washington Post she is confident her group’s efforts contributed to the decision.
“The cause and effect here is very clear,” Coulter said. “Over 230,000 Tweets and who knows how many millions of dollars’ worth of missed purchases later, they finally heard us.”
Coulter began tweeting at Nordstrom in October, slamming the company for continuing to sell Trump clothing despite the leaked recordings of her father bragging about sexual assault.
.@Nordstrom: as a woman, longtime customer, and huge fan of your brand, I'm concerned that you carry the Ivanka Trump collection. 1/
— Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter) October 12, 2016
In November, just before the election, Nordstrom tweeted in defense of its decision to continue selling the merchandise.
We hope that offering a vendor's products isn't misunderstood as us taking a political position; we're not. We recognize (1/2)
— Nordstrom (@Nordstrom) November 2, 2016
our customers can make choices about what they purchase based on personal views & we'll continue to give them options. (2/2)
— Nordstrom (@Nordstrom) November 2, 2016
On Nov. 21 Pete Nordstrom, co-president of the company, sent an email to company employees regarding the Trump line and acknowledging the boycott.
“We’ve heard from customers, including some who are long time loyal customers, threatening a boycott of Nordstrom if we continue to carry the line,” said the email, which was obtained by Fortune. “Similarly, we’ve heard from customers who say they will boycott Nordstrom if we stop carrying the brand. This is a sharply divisive subject. No matter what we do, we are going to end up disappointing some of our customers.”
At the time Nordstrom called the Trump brand “a sizable and successful business.”
After the announcement, the company reported that it cuts 10 percent of the brands it sells to make room for new ones.
Similar boycotts have come up regarding Trump’s father. Less than a month into now-President Donald Trump’s campaign, numerous businesses chose to sever ties with the Republican candidate. Macy’s stated it would pull all its Donald Trump merchandise from its shelves (however, the retailer still sells Ivanka Trump brand merchandise). Serta announced it would not renew a license agreement with Trump Home to sell the line’s mattresses. Farouk Systems, a company responsible for hair care brands such as BioSilk and CHI, ceased its sponsorships of various Trump projects.
Ivanka Trump’s clothing line has come under fire before. In August it was revealed that she has her label’s clothes made by workers who receive no paid maternity leave, despite her alleged strong position on women’s rights and working mothers.
G-III Apparel Group, which has had the rights to design and distribute Trump’s clothing since 2012, does not offer its employees any paid maternity leave. It offers only the minimum time off required by law: twelve weeks of unpaid leave.
The Ivanka Trump brand, which is Trump’s company, offers eight weeks of paid leave to new mothers, as well as flexible work hours, a company representative reported.
