# Trump's tariffs nearly shut Spirit Halloween down

> A 145% tariff on Chinese goods forced the Halloween retailer to halt shipments and preserve cash to survive.
- Title: Trump's tariffs nearly shut Spirit Halloween down · Fortune
- Summary: A 145% tariff on Chinese goods forced the Halloween retailer to halt shipments and preserve cash to survive. Spirit Halloween stopped Asian shipments when…
- Keywords: spirit halloween, spencer spirit holdings, steven silverstein, trump tariffs, china tariffs, retail crisis, Trump's, tariffs, nearly, shut, Spirit, Halloween
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/10/29/samsung-google-earnings-tech-futures-the-fed-rate
- Author: Jim Edwards
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: spirit halloween, spencer spirit holdings, steven silverstein, trump tariffs, china tariffs, retail crisis
## Tariff shock hits Spirit Halloween
On Trump's Liberation Day in 2025, U.S.tariffs on Chinese goods rose to a potential 145%.The timing was catastrophic: Spirit Halloween was shipping goods from Asia.

> This was going to put us out of business
## Supply chain under pressure
Up to 80% of Spirit's merchandise is imported, mostly from Asia, moving through 63 third-party logistics sites before reaching more than 1,550 stores.The process runs all year on a tight schedule.

> Every day is critical to us
## War room preserves cash
Spirit's executives set up a war room to respond to the crisis.Silverstein said the tariffs were worse than COVID.

> You start burning the furniture. You have to preserve your cash.
## Key takeaway

Spirit Halloween stopped Asian shipments when Trump's tariffs hit 145% in 2025, forcing executives into crisis mode to keep the company alive.