French furniture giant to explore other markets amid rising U.S. tariffs, policy challenges

French furniture maker Fermob is reducing sales to the U.S., pivoting its market focus to Australia and Asia as rising tariffs and unpredictable trade policies weigh on operations.

Speaking to China Global Television Network (CGTN) in an interview, Bernard Reybier, president of Fermob, said the century-old manufacturer is contending with rising prices and declining profits with the increase in tariffs on the European Union.

"Everybody was a little bit surprised by the new duty policy from the United States. But like every company, we have to face that new situation," said Reybier.

For Fermob, the U.S. market has been a crucial overseas destination for its products. However, the rising tariffs on European-made goods are beginning to reshape the company's approach to this key market.

"The products sold from France to the USA right now, we have two categories of products, some with a 10 percent duty and some other with a 25 percent duty. This chair was available on the U.S. market at around 150 U.S. dollars, Right now, it's available at 175. We reduced our margin. I hope it's not going to last very long," he said.

This price increase, although necessary due to the tariffs, risks reducing the competitiveness of Fermob's products in the U.S. market. The company hopes that this situation will be short-lived and that a resolution to the trade tensions will help stabilize the market.

"Right now, the situation between China and the United States is a little bit softer as far as duties are concerned. We hope that this situation will be a situation for the future. We need that, not only me in France, but in China, in all over Europe, and even for the U.S. consumers," Reybier said.

As the company faces significant uncertainties about the future, Reybier acknowledged that forecasting sales has become particularly challenging.

At the same time, he hopes to strengthen efforts to expand into the Chinese market.

"It's very difficult to make any forecast for the next season. So we will face a new situation, maybe selling less to the U.S. and more in the other European countries or Australia or Japan or why not China?" Reybier noted.

French furniture giant to explore other markets amid rising U.S. tariffs, policy challenges

French furniture giant to explore other markets amid rising U.S. tariffs, policy challenges

The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.

The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.

Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.

"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.

Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.

Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.

"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.

Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight