This week brought a rare cluster of developments for anyone tracking global trade and supply chains: Washington resurrected a tariff law that has not been used since the 1930s, Britain's biggest warehouse landlord found itself at the centre of an $18.8 billion takeover fight, the agreement governing $1.8 trillion in North American trade entered a new, more uncertain phase, a separate 10% global tariff expired by statute overnight, and its finalized replacement immediately drew pushback from governments, businesses and state attorneys general. Here is what happened, why it matters, and where to go for the full story on each.
Section 338 Revived: Why a 1930s Tariff Law Now Means 50 % Duties on Canadian Goods
On July 20, President Trump invoked Section 338 of the 1930 Tariff Act for the first time in its 96-year history, slapping a 50 % tariff on nearly $20 billion of Canadian goods, from wine and cement to hockey sticks and furniture. The tariffs apply even to USMCA-qualifying products and take effect 19th August, giving importers a narrow 30-day window to prepare. Prime Minister Mark Carney says talks are "intensifying," but Ontario's premier is already calling for tariff-for-tariff retaliation.
Prologis's £13.5 Billion Best and Final: What the Segro Takeover Fight Means for UK Warehouse Costs
After rejecting two earlier approaches, Segro's board agreed to back a £13.5 billion ($18.8 billion) takeover from US logistics giant Prologis on 22nd July, just hours before a UK Takeover Code deadline would have forced Prologis to walk away. The deal would combine two of Europe's largest warehouse landlords just as Segro's data centre and power infrastructure business is starting to take off. If it closes, it could reshape rent negotiations for every retailer and 3PL leasing UK distribution space.
USMCA's Ten-Year Wind-Down: What Trump's Non-Renewal Decision Means for North American Sourcing
The US declined to renew USMCA at its scheduled July 1st review, pushing the $1.8 trillion trade pact into a cycle of mandatory annual reviews instead of a locked-in 16-year extension. This week's third round of US-Mexico talks in Mexico City centred on raising the regional auto content threshold from 75 to 82 % and closing a loophole that lets Chinese-made parts reach the US duty-free through Mexican assembly plants.
The Backlash Begins: Governments, Businesses and State AGs Push Back on America's New 60-Country Tariffs
Within hours of taking effect, the finalized tariffs drew a coordinated backlash: the EU called the reasoning "unjustified," China urged the US to "meet each other halfway," 22 Democratic state attorneys general renewed their objections, and a small-business coalition warned Congress a permanent tariff regime is being backfilled through a forced-labour pretext. The full piece breaks down exactly which of the 60 countries land in the 10% versus 12.5% tier, including a correction on India (12.5%, not 10%) and why China's real floor is closer to 22.5% once its still-standing reciprocal tariff is counted alongside the new rate.
Which of these stories is shaping your sourcing or logistics decisions this quarter? Hit reply and let us know, we read every response.
That’s it for this weeks Sourcing Spotlight.
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