The on-again-off-again tariff announcements of Q1 2026 hit corridor merchants differently depending on category. Importers absorbed cost spikes before exemptions were announced. Here is what the whiplash means for merchant inventory decisions this quarter.
Domestic services, food and beverage, and healthcare-adjacent retail are expanding in managed corridors while import-dependent categories contract. For brands and institutional investors: which corridor retail categories are positioned to grow in a tariff-uncertain environment.