Footwear maker Skechers is already feeling the impact of U.S. tariffs on Chinese exports which were applied to the apparel sector in September. CEO John Vandemore has stated lower profits were linked to higher unit costs which “were partly attributable to increased tariffs effective during the quarter”. The firm has “made some decisions to absorb certain elements of the increase in the short term to the benefit of our customers”, a common strategy among firms facing tariffs for the first time. Skechers may have tried to boost imports ahead of the tariffs – Panjiva’s data shows U.S. seabo...