Country’s oldest department store says it will be ‘phasing out this brand through the fall based on its performance’

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Canada’s oldest department store has dropped the Ivanka Trump fashion line from its website and said it will be phasing out the line from its stores, based on the brand’s “performance”.

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The move by Hudson’s Bay – a chain that describes itself as “Canada’s iconic department store” – comes after more than a year of consumer pressure, including demonstrations organised by a group calling themselves the “Peeved Beavers”.

In a statement to the Guardian, the retailer noted that the change would roll out gradually. “Hudson’s Bay is phasing out this brand through the fall based on its performance,” it said. “As part of our regular course of business, we review our merchandise offerings and make appropriate changes.”

A source familiar with the matter said the retailer, which has long offered everything from Ivanka Trump shoes to clothing and jewelry, notified the brand of their decision in the fall of 2017.

News of the change was first announced by those behind a campaign to boycott companies with ties to the Trump family. Known as #GrabYourWallet, the movement was launched after the leak of the infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which Donald Trump talks about grabbing women “by the pussy,” in 2016.

Shannon Coulter (@shannoncoulter) There are suddenly zero Ivanka Trump items on the @hudsonsbay website. Yesterday there were still over 150 items there. What's going on? Has the Bay finally dropped the Ivanka Trump brand? cc: @AmandaStJean @samkj27 @claude77

On Friday, Shannon Coulter, the co-founder of #GrabYourWallet, said the Bay had been removed from the boycott list and joining 39 other companies that have been taken off the list since the campaign was launched.

The Canadian retailer’s decision comes 18 months after Nordstrom announced they would no longer carry the Ivanka Trump line, citing poor sales.

The Hudson’s Bay Company, which also owns stores such as Lord & Taylor and Saks Fifth Avenue, noted the change would only affect Hudson’s Bay stores in Canada. “Each banner makes decisions on its individual merchandise assortment based on brand performance,” it noted.