Hudson's Bay Drops Ivanka Trump's Brand Due to Weak Performance

TORONTO, Canada — Hudson's Bay Co. said it will stop selling Ivanka Trump's goods at its Canadian namesake stores, citing slow sales.

The Toronto-based company, which also owns Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, will phase out the brand at its namesake chain and website this fall, a spokeswoman said in a statement Friday. Hudson’s Bay operated about 90 stores across Canada as of May.

Ivanka Trump’s brand was notified of the decision to pull its products from Hudson’s Bay in fall 2017, according to a person familiar with the matter. Representatives for Ivanka Trump’s brand declined to comment.

As of Friday, Lord & Taylor and Saks Off 5th Avenue -- units of Hudson’s Bay -- still listed Ivanka Trump merchandise on their websites. Many major retailers, both mass-market sellers and upscale department stores, still count Trump’s brand as a partner, including Walmart Inc., Macy’s Inc. and Amazon’s Zappos.

Some retailers began dropping Ivanka Trump products in February 2017, when Nordstrom Inc. said it would stop selling the first daughter's fashion line at its department stores. The move prompted backlash from President Donald Trump, who said on his personal Twitter account that Ivanka was being treated unfairly by the company.

As boycotts and protests ensued, other retailers sought to distance themselves from the label. T.J. Maxx told employees to eliminate all Ivanka Trump signage in its stores. Some retailers chose to pull merchandise from their websites while continuing to sell them in stores.

Ivanka Trump’s brand began to target shoppers directly after its breakup with Nordstrom. In late 2017, it started to sell handbags on its website and opened a small accessories store in the lobby of Trump Tower. Earlier this year, it began to allow shoppers to order apparel from the label’s website.

By Kim Bhasin and Sandrine Rastello; editors: Anne Riley Moffat and Jonathan Roeder