Internal Nordstrom Data Show Sales Decline for Ivanka Trump Brand
Brand’s 32% tumble occurred even as the chain’s overall sales rose
Sales of Ivanka Trump-branded apparel and footwear fell 32% at Nordstrom last fiscal year. The decline was particularly steep in the weeks leading up to the election. PHOTO: DREW ANGERER/GETTY IMAGES By MIRIAM GOTTFRIED and SUZANNE KAPNER Feb. 11, 2017 7:03 a.m. ET Sales of Ivanka Trump’s fashion line tumbled 32% at Nordstrom Inc. last fiscal year, with the declines deepening in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election, according to internal Nordstrom data reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Amid calls to boycott the brand, Ivanka Trump footwear and apparel sales fell more than 70% in the second, third and fourth weeks of October compared with a year ago, the Nordstrom data show. The declines have moderated somewhat since then, averaging 26% year-over-year in January. Nordstrom, which didn’t provide the data, declined to comment on the figures. The retailer’s recent decision to stop carrying the label has created a firestorm on social media, prompting President Donald Trump and a senior White House counselor to rush to Ms. Trump’s defense. “My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom,” Mr. Trump tweeted on Wednesday. Nordstrom has said its decision was based on the brand’s performance, not politics. “Over the past year, and particularly in the last half of 2016, sales of the brand have ?? steadily declined to the point where it didn’t make good business sense for us to continue with the line for now,” a Nordstrom spokeswoman said Wednesday. A spokeswoman for Ivanka Trump’s brand didn’t respond Friday to a request for comment. The spokeswoman had previously said the brand’s overall sales increased 21% in 2016 without providing more details. In addition to Nordstrom, the brand was available at other department stores, including Bloomingdale’s and Lord & Taylor. At Nordstrom, Ivanka Trump footwear and apparel sales totaled $14.3 million in the fiscal year ended in January, down from $20.9 million in the previous year, according to the data reviewed by the Journal. The sales fell in 45 of the 52 weeks. The brand’s decline at Nordstrom occurred even as the chain’s overall sales rose in a difficult retail market. Total sales increased 7.2% to $3.5 billion in the quarter ended Oct. 29, and gained 3% to $10.2 billion in the nine month period. On Thursday Kellyanne Conway, one of Mr. Trump’s senior advisers, urged Americans to “go buy Ivanka’s stuff” in a televised interview from the White House. Her comments may have violated ethics rules, which ban executive branch employees from promoting products. The top Republican and Democrat on the House Oversight Committee said Thursday that Ms. Conway’s remarks “raised extremely serious concerns” over the use of a government position to endorse a commercial product. White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Thursday, “Kellyanne has been counseled on that subject, and that’s it.” Nordstrom was among dozens of retailers listed by Grab Your Wallet, an anti-Trump group that urges consumers to boycott companies that sell Trump-related products. Ms. Trump took a leave of absence from her family’s company, The Trump Organization, and her own brand when her father was sworn in as the 45th president last month. She is no longer involved in the management or operations of either company, but retains her ownership interest.
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