Latest news with #Hamer
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
UK inflation drops slightly to 3.4% in May 2025
The UK Consumer Prices Index (CPI) increased by 3.4% over the 12 months ended May 2025, a slight decline from the 3.5% rise in the year leading up to April, according to data released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). May saw a CPI increase of 0.2%, marginally lower than the 0.3% increase recorded in May of the previous year. The most significant decrease in the monthly variation of the CPI annual rate was attributed to the transport sector. Upward pressures on the rate were primarily driven by increases in the food sector, along with furniture and household goods. Core CPI, which excludes the volatile categories of energy, food, alcohol and tobacco, saw a 3.5% increase in the year ending in May - a decrease from the 3.8% rise recorded in the year to April. The annual rate for CPI goods climbed from 1.7% to 2.0%, while the annual rate for CPI services decelerated from 5.4% to 4.7%. British Retail Consortium director of Insight Kris Hamer stated: 'Headline inflation held at 3.4% as higher bills and new business costs introduced in April continued to filter through into the economy. Worryingly for consumers, the price of the weekly shop rose once again as food inflation continued its upward trajectory, reaching its highest level since February last year. However, there were some bright spots. Deflation persisted in the clothing and footwear category and within the food category breakfast items such as eggs, bread and cereals fell in price on the month, offering some relief.' Negative impacts from various sectors were somewhat counterbalanced by the rising costs of food and non-alcoholic beverages, which saw a 4.4% price increase over the 12 months to May, an acceleration from the 3.4% increase in the preceding year to April. This rate for May is the highest since February 2024, when it reached 5%. In terms of monthly changes, prices for food and non-alcoholic beverages climbed by 0.7% in May, contrasting with a decrease of 0.3% during the same month in the previous year. Hamer added: 'Since October, retailers have warned that the costs from the Chancellor's [October 2024] Budget could not be fully absorbed and would inevitably lead to higher prices for shoppers. Food inflation is now above 4% and looks set to increase further later in the year. The government must now take action to relieve cost pressures retailers are facing. Ensuring no shop pays more under business rates reform would be a meaningful step forward, offering much needed relief to an industry that continues to see prices, job losses and store closures all rising.' "UK inflation drops slightly to 3.4% in May 2025" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Kuwait Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Kuwait Times
Tariff ‘stacking' adds another headache for US importers
TEXAS: John Hamer, president of Rodgers Wade Manufacturing in Paris, Texas, makes store fixtures for big retailers like Ross Dress for Less and Ulta Beauty. He sources many of the goods from China, which until recently meant he paid 70 percent in tariffs on metal fixtures. 'The media was saying it was 30 percent, but that was never true,' he said, referring to the tariff rate for China announced in May as part of a truce between the Trump administration and Beijing as it negotiated a broader deal. That's because Hamer's 30 percent tariff was stacked on top of existing tariffs, including a tariff on Chinese steel products that varies depending on the amount of steel used in a fixture. When US President Donald Trump adds a new tariff the old ones don't go away. Some companies will pay far more because of a phenomenon called tariff stacking, the latest complication for US importers trying to navigate Trump's on-again, off-again trade war. The reality for many US businesses is that their tariff bills are often far higher than the headline number touted in trade talks. Tariff stacking applies to any country exporting to the US, but the most extreme cases tend to be with China, where the US has accumulated a long list of sometimes hefty existing tariffs, implemented under different provisions of US trade law. The latest twist is an announcement that the two sides have agreed to a 55 percent tariff, but that's in part only an estimate of what the average pre-existing tariffs were. Hamer isn't sure what his tariff total will be now, but he figures it couldn't get much worse. 'Hopefully this will bring the (tariff) number down - and some of the clients who've been sitting on the sidelines will go ahead and place orders,' he said, 'because it's been all over the map.' 'Here's the tariff bill' Hamer is searching for suppliers outside China to avoid his stacked tariffs. He's checked Mexico and is planning a trip to India next month as part of the effort. In the meantime, he is passing through all the tariffs. 'The customers pay the tariff,' said Hamer. 'When it comes in, we say, 'Here's the tariff bill.'' Many businesses are still hoping for a reprieve from President Donald Trump's trade war. Federal courts, including the US Court of International Trade, have ruled that Trump's imposition of tariffs exceeded his authority. A federal appeals court is considering the administration's appeal to that ruling, and the tariffs remain in effect while that plays out, a process expected to take months. Some are counting on tariff exemptions, a popular tool used by companies during the first Trump administration to get goods imported without the taxes. Michael Weidner, president of Lalo Baby Products in Brooklyn, is one of them. 'We believe there should be an exemption for baby products,' he said. 'Same with toys.' The Trump administration has said it will resist creating such carve-outs. And even during the last trade war, it was a complex process. For instance, Lalo imports a 'play table' from China that happens to be classified under a customs category that was subject to a 25 percent tariff under a part of trade law that aims to fight unfair trade practices. So Weidner has been paying 55 percent tariffs on those, thanks to stacking. Trump campaigned on a vow to use tariffs to pull manufacturing back to US shores and collect revenue to help fund a major tax cut. His battle with China quickly spiraled into a conflagration with the US imposing a 145 percent across-the-board tariff that shut down much of the trade between the world's two largest economies. — Reuters The agreement to curb the tariffs is part of a larger effort to negotiate individual deals with most of the US's trading partners. Passing costs through On Wednesday, a White House official said the 55 percent figure represents a sum of a baseline 10 percent 'reciprocal' tariff Trump has imposed on goods from nearly all US trading partners; 20 percent on all Chinese imports because of punitive measures Trump has imposed on China, Mexico and Canada associated with his accusation that the three facilitate the flow of the opioid fentanyl into the US; and finally pre-existing 25 percent levies on imports from China that were put in place during Trump's first term. 'It sounds like that's the way he's thinking of the baseline – 55 percent - at least for some products,' said Greta Peisch, a trade lawyer at Wiley Rein in Washington. Ramon van Meer's business selling filtered shower heads from China may yet survive the trade war, though he's not certain. That depends entirely on whether he can manage the multiple tariffs placed on his $159 shower heads, which became a viral sensation on Instagram. When the Trump administration trimmed tariffs on China to 30 percent in May, van Meer's tariff bill was actually 43 percent. That's because the 30 percent tariff was stacked on top of an existing 13 percent tariff. It's an improvement over the 145 percent tariffs slapped on Chinese imports in April, when he halted shipments entirely. 'At least I can afford to pay it,' said van Meer, chief executive of Afina, based in Austin, Texas, referring to his latest calculations. 'And I don't have to raise the price by that much.'- Reuters
Qatar Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Qatar Tribune
Tariff ‘stacking' adds another headache for United States importers
Agencies John Hamer, president of Rodgers Wade Manufacturing in Paris, Texas, makes store fixtures for big retailers like Ross Dress for Less and Ulta Beauty. He sources many of the goods from China, which until recently meant he paid 70 percent in tariffs on metal fixtures. 'The media was saying it was 30 percent, but that was never true,' he said, referring to the tariff rate for China announced in May as part of a truce between the Trump administration and Beijing as it negotiated a broader deal. That's because Hamer's 30 percent tariff was stacked on top of existing tariffs, including a tariff on Chinese steel products that varies depending on the amount of steel used in a fixture. When US President Donald Trump adds a new tariff the old ones don't go away. Some companies will pay far more because of a phenomenon called tariff stacking, the latest complication for US importers trying to navigate Trump's on-again, off-again trade war. The reality for many US businesses is that their tariff bills are often far higher than the headline number touted in trade talks. Tariff stacking applies to any country exporting to the US, but the most extreme cases tend to be with China, where the US has accumulated a long list of sometimes hefty existing tariffs, implemented under different provisions of US trade law. The latest twist is an announcement that the two sides have agreed to a 55 percent tariff, but that's in part only an estimate of what the average pre-existing tariffs were. Hamer isn't sure what his tariff total will be now, but he figures it couldn't get much worse. 'Hopefully this will bring the (tariff) number down - and some of the clients who've been sitting on the sidelines will go ahead and place orders,' he said, 'because it's been all over the map.' Hamer is searching for suppliers outside China to avoid his stacked tariffs. He's checked Mexico and is planning a trip to India next month as part of the effort. In the meantime, he is passing through all the tariffs. 'The customers pay the tariff,' said Hamer. 'When it comes in, we say, 'Here's the tariff bill.'' Many businesses are still hoping for a reprieve from President Donald Trump's trade war. Federal courts, including the US Court of International Trade, have ruled that Trump's imposition of tariffs exceeded his authority. A federal appeals court is considering the administration's appeal to that ruling, and the tariffs remain in effect while that plays out, a process expected to take months. Some are counting on tariff exemptions, a popular tool used by companies during the first Trump administration to get goods imported without the Weidner, president of Lalo Baby Products in Brooklyn, is one of them. 'We believe there should be an exemption for baby products,' he said. 'Same with toys.' The Trump administration has said it will resist creating such carve-outs. And even during the last trade war, it was a complex process. For instance, Lalo imports a 'play table' from China that happens to be classified under a customs category that was subject to a 25 percent tariff under a part of trade law that aims to fight unfair trade practices. So Weidner has been paying 55 percent tariffs on those, thanks to stacking. Trump campaigned on a vow to use tariffs to pull manufacturing back to US shores and collect revenue to help fund a major tax cut. His battle with China quickly spiraled into a conflagration with the US imposing a 145 percent across-the-board tariff that shut down much of the trade between the world's two largest economies. — Reuters The agreement to curb the tariffs is part of a larger effort to negotiate individual deals with most of the US's trading partners. On Wednesday, a White House official said the 55 percent figure represents a sum of a baseline 10 percent 'reciprocal' tariff Trump has imposed on goods from nearly all US trading partners; 20 percent on all Chinese imports because of punitive measures Trump has imposed on China, Mexico and Canada associated with his accusation that the three facilitate the flow of the opioid fentanyl into the US; and finally pre-existing 25 percent levies on imports from China that were put in place during Trump's first term.
Fashion Network
4 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Tariff 'stacking' adds another headache for US importers
That's because Hamer's 30% tariff was stacked on top of existing tariffs, including a tariff on Chinese steel products that varies depending on the amount of steel used in a fixture. When U.S. President Donald Trump adds a new tariff the old ones don't go away. Some companies will pay far more because of a phenomenon called tariff stacking, the latest complication for U.S. importers trying to navigate Trump's on-again, off-again trade war. The reality for many U.S. businesses is that their tariff bills are often far higher than the headline number touted in trade talks. Tariff stacking applies to any country exporting to the U.S., but the most extreme cases tend to be with China, where the U.S. has accumulated a long list of sometimes hefty existing tariffs, implemented under different provisions of U.S. trade law. The latest twist is an announcement that the two sides have agreed to a 55% tariff, but that's in part only an estimate of what the average pre-existing tariffs were. Hamer isn't sure what his tariff total will be now, but he figures it couldn't get much worse. 'Hopefully this will bring the (tariff) number down - and some of the clients who've been sitting on the sidelines will go ahead and place orders,' he said, 'because it's been all over the map.' Hamer is searching for suppliers outside China to avoid his stacked tariffs. He's checked Mexico and is planning a trip to India next month as part of the effort. In the meantime, he is passing through all the tariffs. "The customers pay the tariff," said Hamer. "When it comes in, we say, 'Here's the tariff bill.'" Many businesses are still hoping for a reprieve from President Donald Trump's trade war. Federal courts, including the U.S. Court of International Trade, have ruled that Trump's imposition of tariffs exceeded his authority. A federal appeals court is considering the administration's appeal to that ruling, and the tariffs remain in effect while that plays out, a process expected to take months. Some are counting on tariff exemptions, a popular tool used by companies during the first Trump administration to get goods imported without the taxes. Michael Weidner, president of Lalo Baby Products in Brooklyn, is one of them. 'We believe there should be an exemption for baby products,' he said. 'Same with toys.' The Trump administration has said it will resist creating such carve-outs. And even during the last trade war, it was a complex process. For instance, Lalo imports a 'play table' from China that happens to be classified under a customs category that was subject to a 25% tariff under a part of trade law that aims to fight unfair trade practices. So Weidner has been paying 55% tariffs on those, thanks to stacking. Trump campaigned on a vow to use tariffs to pull manufacturing back to U.S. shores and collect revenue to help fund a major tax cut. His battle with China quickly spiraled into a conflagration with the U.S. imposing a 145% across-the-board tariff that shut down much of the trade between the world's two largest economies. The agreement to curb the tariffs is part of a larger effort to negotiate individual deals with most of the U.S.'s trading partners. On Wednesday, a White House official said the 55% figure represents a sum of a baseline 10% 'reciprocal' tariff Trump has imposed on goods from nearly all U.S. trading partners; 20% on all Chinese imports because of punitive measures Trump has imposed on China, Mexico and Canada associated with his accusation that the three facilitate the flow of the opioid fentanyl into the U.S.; and finally pre-existing 25% levies on imports from China that were put in place during Trump's first term. 'It sounds like that's the way he's thinking of the baseline - 55% - at least for some products," said Greta Peisch, a trade lawyer at Wiley Rein in Washington. Ramon van Meer's business selling filtered shower heads from China may yet survive the trade war, though he's not certain. That depends entirely on whether he can can manage the multiple tariffs placed on his $159 shower heads, which became a viral sensation on Instagram. When the Trump administration trimmed tariffs on China to 30% in May, van Meer's tariff bill was actually 43%. That's because the 30% tariff was stacked on top of an existing 13% tariff. It's an improvement over the 145% tariffs slapped on Chinese imports in April, when he halted shipments entirely. 'At least I can afford to pay it,' said van Meer, chief executive of Afina, based in Austin, Texas, referring to his latest calculations. "And I don't have to raise the price by that much."
Fashion Network
4 days ago
- Business
- Fashion Network
Tariff 'stacking' adds another headache for US importers
That's because Hamer's 30% tariff was stacked on top of existing tariffs, including a tariff on Chinese steel products that varies depending on the amount of steel used in a fixture. When U.S. President Donald Trump adds a new tariff the old ones don't go away. Some companies will pay far more because of a phenomenon called tariff stacking, the latest complication for U.S. importers trying to navigate Trump's on-again, off-again trade war. The reality for many U.S. businesses is that their tariff bills are often far higher than the headline number touted in trade talks. Tariff stacking applies to any country exporting to the U.S., but the most extreme cases tend to be with China, where the U.S. has accumulated a long list of sometimes hefty existing tariffs, implemented under different provisions of U.S. trade law. The latest twist is an announcement that the two sides have agreed to a 55% tariff, but that's in part only an estimate of what the average pre-existing tariffs were. Hamer isn't sure what his tariff total will be now, but he figures it couldn't get much worse. 'Hopefully this will bring the (tariff) number down - and some of the clients who've been sitting on the sidelines will go ahead and place orders,' he said, 'because it's been all over the map.' Hamer is searching for suppliers outside China to avoid his stacked tariffs. He's checked Mexico and is planning a trip to India next month as part of the effort. In the meantime, he is passing through all the tariffs. "The customers pay the tariff," said Hamer. "When it comes in, we say, 'Here's the tariff bill.'" Many businesses are still hoping for a reprieve from President Donald Trump's trade war. Federal courts, including the U.S. Court of International Trade, have ruled that Trump's imposition of tariffs exceeded his authority. A federal appeals court is considering the administration's appeal to that ruling, and the tariffs remain in effect while that plays out, a process expected to take months. Some are counting on tariff exemptions, a popular tool used by companies during the first Trump administration to get goods imported without the taxes. Michael Weidner, president of Lalo Baby Products in Brooklyn, is one of them. 'We believe there should be an exemption for baby products,' he said. 'Same with toys.' The Trump administration has said it will resist creating such carve-outs. And even during the last trade war, it was a complex process. For instance, Lalo imports a 'play table' from China that happens to be classified under a customs category that was subject to a 25% tariff under a part of trade law that aims to fight unfair trade practices. So Weidner has been paying 55% tariffs on those, thanks to stacking. Trump campaigned on a vow to use tariffs to pull manufacturing back to U.S. shores and collect revenue to help fund a major tax cut. His battle with China quickly spiraled into a conflagration with the U.S. imposing a 145% across-the-board tariff that shut down much of the trade between the world's two largest economies. The agreement to curb the tariffs is part of a larger effort to negotiate individual deals with most of the U.S.'s trading partners. On Wednesday, a White House official said the 55% figure represents a sum of a baseline 10% 'reciprocal' tariff Trump has imposed on goods from nearly all U.S. trading partners; 20% on all Chinese imports because of punitive measures Trump has imposed on China, Mexico and Canada associated with his accusation that the three facilitate the flow of the opioid fentanyl into the U.S.; and finally pre-existing 25% levies on imports from China that were put in place during Trump's first term. 'It sounds like that's the way he's thinking of the baseline - 55% - at least for some products," said Greta Peisch, a trade lawyer at Wiley Rein in Washington. Ramon van Meer's business selling filtered shower heads from China may yet survive the trade war, though he's not certain. That depends entirely on whether he can can manage the multiple tariffs placed on his $159 shower heads, which became a viral sensation on Instagram. When the Trump administration trimmed tariffs on China to 30% in May, van Meer's tariff bill was actually 43%. That's because the 30% tariff was stacked on top of an existing 13% tariff. It's an improvement over the 145% tariffs slapped on Chinese imports in April, when he halted shipments entirely. 'At least I can afford to pay it,' said van Meer, chief executive of Afina, based in Austin, Texas, referring to his latest calculations. "And I don't have to raise the price by that much."
