Latest news with #homeGoods
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle Makes Lifestyle Prediction Amid 'As Ever' Products Launch
Meghan Markle is gearing up for a whirlwind as she launches new products. The Duchess of Sussex's lifestyle brand, As Ever, officially drops another wave of products today, 20 June 2025, after a hiatus. The milestone moment comes on the heels of a successful first run, during which the products sold out quickly. Launched in March 2025, Meghan Markle's As Ever spans home goods, food items, and other carefully curated lifestyle products. Meghan is officially in launch mode. On Friday, the former actress marked the release of her As Ever products with a new Instagram photo, accompanied by a clear message that things are about to get hectic. Posting to the brand's official account, Meghan hinted that sleep might be off the table as she kicks off this next chapter. "No more sleeps!" the caption read, signaling just how packed her schedule is about to become. The photo showed Meghan barefoot and carefree, swinging under a tree in a scenic outdoor setting. Dressed in a soft yellow puff-sleeve dress, she smiled as her hair caught the breeze, revealing a relaxed side profile. Before her As Ever products officially hit the shelves, Meghan gave fans an early heads-up with a visually tempting Instagram Story that has since expired. The post featured a stack of pancakes topped with strawberries and honey, along with a reminder, "Are you on our list? Don't miss out, June 20 at 8 a.m. PT." The Blast noted that Meghan followed the quiet teaser with a more direct message on her brand's main page, telling followers to "mark your calendars" for the launch. "Oh yes, honey… sweet things await," read the caption, promising the return of fan favorites along with new additions. Meghan had already hinted at the return in a newsletter to subscribers, where she thanked supporters for the strong response to the brand's March debut. While excited about her success, Meghan made it clear that launching a lifestyle brand is not just about pretty packaging and hype. In a podcast conversation with Tina Knowles, she shared the harsh realities behind her brand and why she paused production to get things right before restocking. She broke down the behind-the-scenes work that often goes unseen, from navigating profit margins on homemade products, making them shelf-ready and desirable to buyers, to the extensive testing and regulatory standards required to ensure the quality of each item. She also opened up about the emotional weight of being a public figure trying to build something real. Meghan said that ongoing criticism and constant opinions about her every move forced her to lean on close friends and her team for reassurance. "You still have to be able to have someone you can go to be human and say, 'I don't know. Can you just tell me that this makes sense?'" She asked. In a surprising twist, Meghan shared in April on her popular podcast "Confessions of a Female Founder" that fear had almost prevented her from building the lifestyle brand she truly wanted, until a conversation with Oprah helped her change course. The 43-year-old opened up about her mindset during the early stages of developing As Ever. "I thought, 'I'll just do small batch jam from home,'" she admitted. That hesitation led her to question whether she was intentionally limiting herself or simply scared to try something bigger. It was Oprah, "a longtime friend and mentor," who gave her the clarity she needed. Meghan recalled the TV host telling her, "There are tons of things you could put your name on.' But for you and how you like to show up for people, once you figure out how to encapsulate your essence, then you'll know.'" The former royal couple is ready to hit pause and prioritize family time. After a packed first half of 2025, Meghan and Harry are reportedly gearing up for a summer filled with travel, rest, and reconnecting with their kids. The Blast reports that Meghan is taking the lead in planning a series of relaxing getaways meant to help the family reset after what insiders describe as a "hectic time" for both. The goal? A stress-free summer centered around fun, family, and friends. The Sussexes are said to be looking at multiple destinations, including wine tastings in Napa, a nature retreat in Big Sur, and stops throughout Northern California with their children. Apart from visiting close friends in Colorado and Canada, another option on the table includes visiting Muskoka, a popular cottage region north of Toronto, where they are expected to spend time with friends who own property on the lake. The launch marks the next step for Meghan Markle's lifestyle brand, As Ever, and by the looks of it, she is just getting started.
CNN
14-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Planning to renovate your home? That may soon cost more from tariffs
Costs have been creeping up for Chad Esslinger, who runs an interior design business outside of Chicago, ever since President Donald Trump first announced sweeping global tariffs in early April. One business Esslinger often relies on to provide light fixtures, rugs, furniture and all manner of wholesale home goods for clients implemented a 'temporary tariff surcharge' of 14% on all goods from China and a 2% charge on items imported from any other country beginning on May 12. Another business that provides fabric, wallpaper and trim emailed Esslinger to say it would re-evaluate its pricing strategy on May 15. 'I've seen it where sometimes they don't even warn you. I've gone to a website to look at a product I might have sourced a month ago, and now suddenly it's a certain percentage more,' Esslinger said. 'Just like everything, you have to pass that cost along if you want to stay profitable,' he added. For the last few years, the home renovation space has been booming, but Washington's ever-shifting tariff policies threaten to change that. That's because the US imports billions of dollars worth of home goods from around the globe, from Tuscan tilework to Chinese refrigerators. Those products, along with raw construction materials, have been hit by Trump's tariff agenda. Professionals in the home renovation space, from decorators to general contractors, told CNN their businesses have been bracing for higher prices since President Donald Trump first announced tariffs on imports from most countries in early April. Though Trump has temporarily placed many of the largest tariff increases on pause, high tariffs remain in effect, and uncertainty about future costs persists, many said. 'It's top of mind at this point. On the contractor side, they're waiting to see how it unfolds,' said Julie Kheyfets, the CEO of Block Renovation, an online platform that connects contractors with homeowners. 'The thing about renovations is, every renovation is different. You can't stock a bunch of extra materials ahead of time, because every homeowner wants something different.' Some home goods have already been pulled from the market entirely due to sharp changes in tariffs. Sandy Schargel, an interior decorator from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was recently informed that thousands of dollars in light fixtures she had ordered for a client were no longer available, due to tariff-induced discontinuations. By the time she was notified, alternative options from the same lighting company had all risen 10% in price. Schargel told CNN that if she can no longer access some imported products, she would turn to American-made alternatives, which may add costs for homeowners. 'When you come to the lower price points, American-made does limit things, somewhat,' Schargel said. 'Imported merchandise often has lower price options.' Schargel said she has encouraged clients on tighter budgets to order what they need as soon as possible to avoid prices going up further down the line. China is one of the largest exporters of home goods to the US. In 2024, the country sent more than $438 billion worth of goods into American homes. Nearly 19% of that total was machinery and mechanical appliances, such as refrigerators, dish washing machines and laundry machines, according to data from the US International Trade Commission. Furniture, bedding, lamps and lighting were a further 4% of last year's imports from China. For a little more than a month, the 145% tariff Trump placed on imports from China vastly eclipsed tariffs on other nations' imports. However, on Monday, the US and China agreed to lower tariffs on each other – a positive step in trade relations between the two countries after tensions had ratcheted up in the last few weeks. For at least 90 days, most imports from China will be taxed at 30%. Blanket 10% tariffs are also in place with most other US trading partners, though higher rates could kick back in on July 9. It is too early to tell whether the pause in the highest tariffs on China will reverse price hikes and shortages. Esslinger said so far this week, no home goods importers he works with have said they planned to lower prices. Earlier this year, a report from the National Association of Home Builders estimated that the remodeling industry is poised for growth amid an aging housing stock. As fewer new homes have been built in the last decade and fewer Americans move, homeowners would be more likely to renovate their older homes, the report said. Esslinger, the interior designer from the Chicago area, along with other home renovation professionals CNN spoke to, said tariff whiplash was slowing down business, though. 'The word that just keeps coming up is uncertainty,' Esslinger said. 'I think some folks just don't feel super confident. I've had some clients say they're going to hold off for a little bit and see how things go, while some have scaled back a little bit.' But not everyone in the home renovation space has felt the full impact of tariffs yet. Nina Sepiashvily, who runs I&N Builders, a New York City-based construction company, said that while she may have noticed a slight increase in prices so far, it pales in comparison to the soaring prices she experienced in the years after the start of the pandemic, when inflation began to take off. As a construction company owner, she generally doesn't handle buying finished goods like appliances and furniture, but rather handles purchasing building materials, like lumber. Although the US imports a significant percentage of lumber from Canada, the additional tariff increase on that import hasn't yet taken effect. The tariff on lumber currently sits at 14.5%, but the US Commerce Department has signaled it plans to hike tariffs on Canadian lumber by more than double, to 34.5%, in the coming months. 'We haven't really seen (tariffs) affect our costs yet,' Sepiashvily said. But while clients are still interested in planning renovations, many aren't ready to move forward yet, she added. Homeowners are 'uncertain about tariffs, they're uncertain about their investments and they're afraid to pull the trigger.'
CNN
14-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Planning to renovate your home? That may soon cost more from tariffs
Costs have been creeping up for Chad Esslinger, who runs an interior design business outside of Chicago, ever since President Donald Trump first announced sweeping global tariffs in early April. One business Esslinger often relies on to provide light fixtures, rugs, furniture and all manner of wholesale home goods for clients implemented a 'temporary tariff surcharge' of 14% on all goods from China and a 2% charge on items imported from any other country beginning on May 12. Another business that provides fabric, wallpaper and trim emailed Esslinger to say it would re-evaluate its pricing strategy on May 15. 'I've seen it where sometimes they don't even warn you. I've gone to a website to look at a product I might have sourced a month ago, and now suddenly it's a certain percentage more,' Esslinger said. 'Just like everything, you have to pass that cost along if you want to stay profitable,' he added. For the last few years, the home renovation space has been booming, but Washington's ever-shifting tariff policies threaten to change that. That's because the US imports billions of dollars worth of home goods from around the globe, from Tuscan tilework to Chinese refrigerators. Those products, along with raw construction materials, have been hit by Trump's tariff agenda. Professionals in the home renovation space, from decorators to general contractors, told CNN their businesses have been bracing for higher prices since President Donald Trump first announced tariffs on imports from most countries in early April. Though Trump has temporarily placed many of the largest tariff increases on pause, high tariffs remain in effect, and uncertainty about future costs persists, many said. 'It's top of mind at this point. On the contractor side, they're waiting to see how it unfolds,' said Julie Kheyfets, the CEO of Block Renovation, an online platform that connects contractors with homeowners. 'The thing about renovations is, every renovation is different. You can't stock a bunch of extra materials ahead of time, because every homeowner wants something different.' Some home goods have already been pulled from the market entirely due to sharp changes in tariffs. Sandy Schargel, an interior decorator from Albuquerque, New Mexico, was recently informed that thousands of dollars in light fixtures she had ordered for a client were no longer available, due to tariff-induced discontinuations. By the time she was notified, alternative options from the same lighting company had all risen 10% in price. Schargel told CNN that if she can no longer access some imported products, she would turn to American-made alternatives, which may add costs for homeowners. 'When you come to the lower price points, American-made does limit things, somewhat,' Schargel said. 'Imported merchandise often has lower price options.' Schargel said she has encouraged clients on tighter budgets to order what they need as soon as possible to avoid prices going up further down the line. China is one of the largest exporters of home goods to the US. In 2024, the country sent more than $438 billion worth of goods into American homes. Nearly 19% of that total was machinery and mechanical appliances, such as refrigerators, dish washing machines and laundry machines, according to data from the US International Trade Commission. Furniture, bedding, lamps and lighting were a further 4% of last year's imports from China. For a little more than a month, the 145% tariff Trump placed on imports from China vastly eclipsed tariffs on other nations' imports. However, on Monday, the US and China agreed to lower tariffs on each other – a positive step in trade relations between the two countries after tensions had ratcheted up in the last few weeks. For at least 90 days, most imports from China will be taxed at 30%. Blanket 10% tariffs are also in place with most other US trading partners, though higher rates could kick back in on July 9. It is too early to tell whether the pause in the highest tariffs on China will reverse price hikes and shortages. Esslinger said so far this week, no home goods importers he works with have said they planned to lower prices. Earlier this year, a report from the National Association of Home Builders estimated that the remodeling industry is poised for growth amid an aging housing stock. As fewer new homes have been built in the last decade and fewer Americans move, homeowners would be more likely to renovate their older homes, the report said. Esslinger, the interior designer from the Chicago area, along with other home renovation professionals CNN spoke to, said tariff whiplash was slowing down business, though. 'The word that just keeps coming up is uncertainty,' Esslinger said. 'I think some folks just don't feel super confident. I've had some clients say they're going to hold off for a little bit and see how things go, while some have scaled back a little bit.' But not everyone in the home renovation space has felt the full impact of tariffs yet. Nina Sepiashvily, who runs I&N Builders, a New York City-based construction company, said that while she may have noticed a slight increase in prices so far, it pales in comparison to the soaring prices she experienced in the years after the start of the pandemic, when inflation began to take off. As a construction company owner, she generally doesn't handle buying finished goods like appliances and furniture, but rather handles purchasing building materials, like lumber. Although the US imports a significant percentage of lumber from Canada, the additional tariff increase on that import hasn't yet taken effect. The tariff on lumber currently sits at 14.5%, but the US Commerce Department has signaled it plans to hike tariffs on Canadian lumber by more than double, to 34.5%, in the coming months. 'We haven't really seen (tariffs) affect our costs yet,' Sepiashvily said. But while clients are still interested in planning renovations, many aren't ready to move forward yet, she added. Homeowners are 'uncertain about tariffs, they're uncertain about their investments and they're afraid to pull the trigger.'
