ATLANTA – The bedding industry is “looking to address” mattress imports from Vietnam, an analyst says. Keith Hughes of SunTrust Robinson Humphrey made that comment in a recent report on trends in the bedding industry.
Hughes said the industry believes that surging Vietnamese mattress imports reflect Chinese mattresses being trans-shipped through Vietnam.
China was the No. 1 source country for imported mattresses before steep antidumping duties were imposed last year. Those duties sent Chinese mattress imports plunging to less than 1%, while Vietnam’s mattress share has grown to 35%, based on November figures.
Hughes offered this commentary on the China-Vietnam trade picture in his recent report:
“An anti-dumping tariff was applied in 2019 to imported Chinese mattresses which have seen substantial growth. The tariff has resulted in flattening imports, but given heavy pre-shipment, prices at Amazon have not risen. Within these import numbers, Vietnam has surged in place of falling China. The industry believes that these products are just being trans-shipped through Vietnam and is looking to U.S. import officials to investigate and apply the tariff.”
There has been no public announcement of a move by U.S. bedding producers to seek tariffs on Vietnamese mattresses.
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