Reference News Network, October 11 report - According to the website of the US Consumer News & Business Channel on October 8, if you want to decorate your home before the end-of-year holiday season, you may need to start planning earlier this year, from artificial Christmas trees, lights to wreaths.

One of the largest importers of artificial Christmas trees in the United States recently warned that due to trade wars and tariffs, the inventory of Christmas trees is limited, and it also said that more seasonal decorations will face similar situations.

Chris Butler, CEO of National Christmas Tree Company, said: "Our imported products have decreased by 25%. There will definitely be a supply shortage this year. If you are considering purchasing Christmas goods this year, I recommend you take action now and get ahead of the game."

Butler said that due to the trade war and tariffs, the company has reduced its inventory and had to increase the price of the products by 10%.

Butler has discussed this matter with the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

He said: "This is why we are negotiating with the government, so that we may save Christmas and provide American consumers with what we believe they deserve - low prices."

William George, research director at "Import Genius" website, said: "We can see that the imports of National Christmas Tree Company in August and September this year are very low compared to previous years. The imports in August decreased by 58% year-on-year, and those in September decreased by more than 70%."

Ben Tracy, vice president of Vessels Value Global Shipping Order Tracking System, said: "Looking at the imported Christmas trees scheduled to arrive before December 1st from National Christmas Tree Company, it is obvious that the number of Christmas trees will decrease compared to last year. We also found that the import numbers of other holiday decorations, such as lights, have also shown similar year-on-year decreases, but the import numbers of Christmas trees seem to have declined the most."

Butler said that it is too expensive to produce these goods in the United States.

He said: "It is clear that labor costs in the United States are higher. We did the calculations, and a Christmas tree made in the United States could be 2.5 to 3 times more expensive. Therefore, we will continue to focus on production automation, while we are also continuing to look for nearshore outsourcing or other cost-reduction methods. However, the current prices will be very expensive and likely economically unfeasible." (Translated by Wen Yi)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7559850417443439155/

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