There’s no end in sight to the saga between Ivanka Trump’s eponymous footwear and accessories brand and several retailers that stock the line.
According to an article published by The New York Times today, The TJX Companies, parent of discount retailers Marshalls and TJ Maxx, told employees last week not to display Ivanka Trump merchandise separately and to throw away Ivanka Trump signs.
“Effective immediately, please remove all Ivanka Trump merchandise from features and mix into the runs,” the note obtained by The New York Times read. “All Ivanka Trump signs should be discarded.” (“Runs” refers to the standard clothing racks.)
A spokesperson for TJX later confirmed with the publication that the note was indeed sent to employees at TJ Maxx and Marshalls.
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“The communication was intended to instruct stores to mix this line of merchandise into our racks, not to remove it from the sales floor,” the spokesperson wrote in an email statement. “We offer a rapidly changing selection of merchandise for our customers, and brands are featured based on a number of factors.”
While the spokesperson did not address whether or not such instruction was atypical for the chain, the controversy is just the latest in a string of contentious events involving the first daughter’s line.
Nordstrom Inc. said last week that it was cutting Ivanka Trump’s line of accessories and shoes from its stores and website and, a few days later, Neiman Marcus followed with a confirmation that it would no longer stock the first daughter’s jewelry line.
Both chains indicated that their decisions were based solely on the line’s productivity as opposed to politics. However, there has been speculation that the department stores succumbed to pressures to cut ties with the brand following a call for a Trump brand boycott last year as well as backlash stemming from several controversial executive orders signed by the president after his inauguration in January.
Adding to the melee today, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to address the fallout between his daughter and Nordstrom.
In a tweet posted this morning, President Trump said Ivanka “has been treated so unfairly” by the department store chain — adding: “She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”
