Trump has become a tainted name in retail following Donald Trump’s election to the highest seat in office. First Nordstrom abandoned Ivanka Trump’s brand amid a boycott by customers unhappy with the new president.
Now, Neiman Marcus has followed suit.
The retailer boycott began in late 2016 with the #GrabYourWallet hashtag, which was sparked by the revelation of Trump’s “Grab her by the p**sy” remark from 2005. Other companies targeted for carrying the Ivanka Trump brand include Amazon, Macy’s and LL Bean.
Nordstrom cited lagging sales as its reason for dropping the Ivanka Trump collection. A spokesperson for Nordstrom told Racked that they made their decision based on sales performance, and made no mention of politics.
“We’ve said all along we make buying decisions based on performance,” the spokesperson said. “We’ve got thousands of brands—more than 2,000 offered on the site alone. Reviewing their merit and making edits is part of the regular rhythm of our business. Each year we cut about 10 percent and refresh our assortment with about the same amount. In this case, based on the brand’s performance we’ve decided not to buy it for this season.”
Neiman Marcus has also now removed Ivanka Trump’s jewelry collection from its website and some retail locations. Like Nordstrom, the company cited flagging sales, and made no mention of the boycott.
“Neiman Marcus has a very small Ivanka Trump precious jewelry business, which is comprised 100 percent of consigned merchandise (merchandise owned by the vendor),” reads the statement. “Based on productivity we continuously assess whether our brands are carried in stores, on our website, or both.”
Ivanka Trump’s husband, Jared Kushner, has a formal role in her father’s administration. Ivanka herself announced last month that she was taking a leave of absence from the Trump Organization and her fashion business because of her father’s election victory. There is some speculation that she may be preparing for a future in politics.
Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter and on Facebook.