The call came in from China around 3 a.m. on April 14. With 145% tariffs about to take effect, Landzie Founder and CEO Andrew Laplante recalled how his biggest supplier gave him an ultimatum: He had five minutes to decide if he’d like to cancel Landzie’s latest order or ship it out as planned.

For a small New Jersey-based lawn care equipment company, it was a tricky decision, but Laplante ultimately decided it was more important to stay stocked up than potentially lose out on cost. “We said, ‘No, please ship it,’” he said.

In the weeks since making that decision, during which time a 90-day pause on tariffs went into effect, Landzie’s response to the trade conflict has evolved from a simple yes or no decision in the middle of the night to a series of considered strategic pivots, which have prioritized keeping product flowing over cutting imports.

“Our margins have shrunk, to be honest, and it’s not ideal, but also not selling any products hurts us in many other ways,” he said. “So it’s a balancing act.”

What does that balancing act look like on the ground? For Landzie, it’s a mix of adaptation and compromise spanning sourcing to product development.

Keep reading here.—AV

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.1% in May and 2.4% year over year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported this week. It’s a lower-than-expected rise as the impact of President Trump’s tariffs has yet to fully be seen as brands and retailers begin to initiate plans to raise prices in the coming months.

Core CPI—which excludes food and energy prices—saw a 0.1% incline, a slight cooling from April’s 0.2% increase.

The index for food increased 0.3% in May, as both food away from home and food at home rose by the same amount. Three of the six major grocery categories saw price bumps, with cereals and bakery products (1.1%), fruits and vegetables (0.3%) and other food at home (0.7%), all inching up. Meats, poultry, fish, and eggs dropped 0.4%, as egg prices continue to decline, down 2.7% in May, while prices also dipped for nonalcoholic beverages (0.3%) and dairy and related products (0.1%).

Keep reading here.—EC

“For the fourth year in a row, Apple was named by Kantar as the most valuable brand in the world. The tech giant earned the top spot with a brand value of $1.3 trillion, according to Kantar’s annual BrandZ report, which ranks companies around the world based on factors like consumer perceptions and financial valuations,” writes Marketing Brew’s Alyssa Meyers.

Seven of this year’s top 100 brands joined that group for the first time, according to Kantar, including Uniqlo, Hilton, Stripe, Chipotle, Booking.com, DoorDash, and ChatGPT.

Read the whole story here on Marketing Brew.—AM

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