London/New York, July 11 (Reuters) – The suppliers of Walmart WMT.N have delayed or suspended some orders of clothing manufacturers in Bangladesh, according to three factor owners and the correspondence of a supplier seen by Reuters, such as the threat of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, of a 35% Companies.
Bangladesh is the third largest clothing exporter to the United States, and is based on the garment sector for 80% of its export profits and 10% of its GDP. All factory owners said they expected them to fall if August 1 tariffs enter into force, since they cannot absorb that 35%rate.
Iqbal Hossain, managing director of the Patriot Eco Apparel Ltd garment manufacturer, told Reuters an order of almost 1 million swimming shorts for Walmart was suspended on Thursday due to the threat of rates.
“As we argue, please make all the orders of the spring season that we are discussing here due to the % heavy tariffs imposed for US imports.” Faruk Saikat wrote, Assistant Marketing Manager of Classic Fashion, in an email to Hossain and others seen by Reuters. Classic Fashion is a supplier and purchase agent that makes orders for retailers.
“According to our management instruction, we are celebrating the production of Bangladesh for time and in case the tariff problems are solved, we will continue while planning here.”
Walmart did not decide the winery, Saikat told Reuters, but for classical fashion itself.
Walmart did not respond to a request for comments.
Bangladesh is currently in conversations with the United States in Washington to try to negotiate a lower rate. Trump in recent days has revived the threats of greater levies in numerous nations.
“If the 35% tariff remains for Bangladesh, it will be very difficult to sustain, honestly speaking, and there will not be as many orders as us now,” said Mohiuddin Rubel, managing director of the Jeans Denim Expert Ltd manufacturer in Dhaka.
Rubel, whose company produces jeans for H&M Hmb.ST and other retailers, said it expects customers to ask you to absorb part of the rate, but added that this would not be possible financially. Manufacturers have already absorbed part of the Manta of 10% of the rate imposed by the United States on April 2.
“Only large and large companies can probably maintain a little (tariffs) but not small and medium enterprises,” he said.
Retails have charged orders since Trump returned to the White House, anticipating higher tariffs. Jeans manufacturer Levi’s Levi.N, who matters from Bangladesh, said Thursday that he has 60% of the inventory he needs for the rest of 2025.
US clothing imports of Bangladesh totaled $ 3.38 billion in the first five months of 2025, 21% more than the most annual period, according to data from the United States International Trade Commission.
Another owner of the Dhaka garment factory said that an importer with whom he was negotiating a 2026 spring pants order for Walmart on Thursday to wait a week before the order was confirmed due to the tariff risk.
Hossain said you can look for more requests from European clients to compensate for lost orders if the 35% of the US tariff is implemented. UU., Even if you have to reduce prices to stimulate demand.
(Reuters Reporting by Helen Reid in London and Siddharth Cavale in New York; David Gaffen and Matthew Lewis edition)
