Some local retailers are turning their focus to Canadian products in light of the threat of tariffs from the United-States.
Sputtergotch Toy Company owner Garry Koebel noted they’ve signed on with four new small Canadian companies and are seeing good things in their search for Canadian suppliers.
“We’ve been pleasantly surprised with what we’ve been finding as far as smaller companies for us to deal with,” Koebel said. “It supports the local economy, reduces shipping costs the bring the product in and the products we’re finding are excellent. I think that brough a more local focus back into the limelight.”
He noted a lot of their product was European, but he expects other retailers to focus more on Canadian options with the threat of tariffs still looming large.
“It doesn’t really matter if you’re a kazillion dollar multinational corporation or if you’re a little mom and pop shop like us, this tariff situation creates a high degree of uncertainty,” Koebel said. “There’s always uncertainty, you know, certainly we’ve been dealing with lots of that over the last over the last five years with COVID and postal strikes and whatnot. In this case, when you’re dealing with a large trading partner the repercussions are quite substantial. How do you go about plan putting your business plan together when you don’t know major factors that are going to have a serious impact on it?”
The thirty-day delay offered by US President Donald Trump hasn’t offered much relief.
“Thee reprieve really hasn’t done much in regard to settling nerves in the business community,” Koebel said. “I think it’s creating just that much more anxiety. It’s almost like waiting for a shoe to drop and then react.”
Koebel feels the trading relationship between the United-States and Canada may never be the same.
“I do think the trust level has been demolished here,” he said. “One way to reduce some uncertainty right now is to diversify and maybe that is a bit of a jolt that the business communities needed as well too is to take a harder look at your overall supply chain and realize having a few more baskets to put your inventory eggs in is probably not a bad idea.”
