ANLGO-AMERICAN TRADE

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4806, 5 July 1939, Page 6

ANLGO-AMERICAN TRADE

COMMENTS BY AMBASSADOR. London, May 25. Some interesting comments were made on Anglo-American trade by Mr. Joseph Kennedy, the American Ambassador, when he spoke at Foreign Trade Week luncheon. “There seems to be a disposition on both sides of the Atlantic,” he said, “to regard Anglo-American trade as something that will develop automatically, without any effort on ur part. Firms which display the utmost energy and ability in domestic selling are inclined to regard their overseas customers with a casual, even lackadaisical, attitude.” He quoted some of the complaints he had heard. Those against American trading methods included the following:— Too many American manufacturers regarded foreign trade as only a stopgap when domestic trade was poor. There was too much substitution of merchandise by American shippers, especially in women’s wear and accessories. British buyers complained that they were frequently asked to accept articles that bore little or no relation to the goods ordered. Many American firms expected to do business abroad by remote control, from offices in New York or Chicago. Mr. Kennedy raised the action of the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce in establishing London headquarters, following the trade agreement.

American Complaints.

The principal American complaints against British traders were: — They made little effort to understand the American market. Mr. Kennedy commended to British firms the Los Angeles initiative. They, too, were addicted to the practice of selling from a distance. Mr. Kennedy mentioned officials of a firm who believed that they understood America because some of them were there 30 years ago. “I am doing my best to convince them that we have left the horse-and-buggy age, and that they would not recognise the old place now,” he added. British firms did not do enough to advertise their products. “No none who wanted to get ahead in the American market could afford to be too modest about his product.” Scientific packing was another essential for Americans. British manufactures did not pay enough attention to “style,” or, as the Americans would say, “chic,” and “snap,” and showed a curious reluctance about adopting their products to the consumers’ taste.

Mr. Kennedy also had a few words to say about British styles of clothing. “I have a feeling that American men would like some of these fine English socks if they could get some that didn’t come up to their knees. They could also use some shirts if they did not come down to the same place, not to mention trousers which have the waistline where God made it on a man and not in the general vicinity of the shoulder blades!”

Englishman’s Answer

A reply was made by a Saville Row firm of tailors. “The average American customer likes his trousers as a rule to wear with a belt,” he said. “The average English customer wears braces —or, as the Americans call them, suspenders. We always ask our American customers if they wish their trousers cut on the American or English style. The American style hangs from the hip, as do. sports trousers, but if you cut an English customers ’trousers with straight tops he would get huffy with you. As for shirts, Americans like shirts cut with coat fronts. We cut all dress shirts with coat fronts, but English customers do not like ordinary day shirts cut like that. The coat front rucks away and is not so comfortable.”