Roughly one in four U.S. businesses plan to shrink their product offerings over the next six months, according to a survey by the British Standards Institution.
The cuts mark a clear shift from recent years, when retailers rushed to add dozens of colors, styles and sizes to meet online demand.
Rising freight costs, new levies and unpredictable customer spending have squeezed corporate margins over the last 18 months, forcing executives to rethink expansive inventory strategies. Many brands originally began trimming underperforming lines after facing severe inventory imbalances and supply bottlenecks during the pandemic.
The shift comes amid a volatile trade environment following the Trump administration's aggressive import duties. After the Supreme Court struck down key emergency tariffs, U.S. Customs and Border Protection began issuing billions of dollars in duty refunds to affected importers.
While those lump-sum payouts have provided temporary cash injections for major corporations, ongoing trade uncertainty and elevated freight expenses continue to squeeze everyday profit margins.
Under Armour has eliminated more than 25 percent of its stock keeping units over the last two years to focus investment on top-performing goods, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Similarly, home goods distributor Helen of Troy, the company behind OXO kitchen tools, told shareholders at a recent meeting that simplifying its product range has helped cushion the financial impact of elevated U.S. import taxes.
While higher duties and freight fees have driven inventory cuts across the sector, some major brands are using tariff refund windfalls to protect price-sensitive consumers from inflation.
Walmart has lowered prices on 11,000 items — including everyday staples like ground beef — supported by $2.9 billion in tariff refunds, according to The Wall Street Journal. Appliance manufacturer SharkNinja plans to hold prices flat this year after securing $247 million in duty refunds, and e.l.f. Beauty has reduced prices on roughly 10 percent of its product assortment using part of its $50 million in recovered funds.
Other merchants are using the duty refunds to offset operational overhead directly.
Tractor Supply is leveraging its refund money to absorb elevated fuel and transportation expenses, while simultaneously offering targeted promotions on goods such as pet food and livestock supplies.
