As each day passes, more economic uncertainty grows for local businesses amid the Canada U.S. trade war.
For one Winnipeg baseball store, a 50 per cent counter-tariff could have ramifications on some niche products coming from the other side of the border.
“It’s more of an annoyance of having to constantly be reactive when it comes to stuff like this. It would be nice to get a deal negotiated and not have to worry about this,” said Mark Macaulay, head of procurement at Home Run Sports.
Home Run Sports in Winnipeg. (Koby Mitchell, CityNews)
Home Run Sports has been in business since 1986 and has been a driving force in making top-of-the-line baseball equipment available for both Winnipeggers and Canadians across the country.
Although American imports make up less than 10 per cent of their product, pitching machines and wood bats are susceptible to impending tariffs.
“Pitching machines are a key aspect in training and skill growth and getting ready for the season and just teams in general, and to see those prices go up, it’s just unfortunate,” said Megan Neiles, the retail manager & ecommerce sales support at Home Run Sports.
Megan Neiles, the retail manager & ecommerce sales support at Home Run Sports. (Koby Mitchell, CityNews)
Pitching machines range in price from $4,000 all the way up to $10,000, and as the costs of organized sports and equipment continue to rise, Neiles is concerned for the possible implications for consumers.
“It breaks my heart to see this happening because sporting equipment is already so expensive, and there’s a lot of families who have been introduced to baseball and softball this year, and the sport this year has just grown so much. And seeing the potential of raised prices on items that are already expensive, it’s really hard to plan for,” said Neiles.
Macaulay is not too concerned with the overall implications of the tariffs, but the company has started to do its due diligence in preparation.
“We’ve reached out to our vendors we deal with to ask if we can get product shipped as soon as possible to get them across the border prior to these tariffs possibly kicking in; again it’s a wait-and-see approach. It’s sort of a holding pattern we’re in. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail, and we don’t have to deal with this,” said Macaulay.
Neiles added, “At the end of the day, it’s just hurting our customers, and it’s just not ideal.”
Baseball gloves at Home Run Sports in Winnipeg. (Koby Mitchell, CityNews)
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