The decorative cowboy boots and soccer balls covered in stars and stripes in Walmart’s superstore in Grapevine, Texas have a proudly American aesthetic.
But like thousands of other products in Walmart’s stores they are imported from China, meaning that when Walmart reorders them, they will carry a 125 per cent tariff.
Tariffs represent a massive challenge for the largest US retailer, but at a much anticipated investor event in Dallas this week that was overshadowed by questions over the fallout from President Donald Trump’s erratic trade war, Walmart’s executives sought to convince attendees that tariffs were an opportunity to win market share.