ATLANTA — This is the time of the year when business begins to explode for fireworks sellers in metro Atlanta. However, due to the tariffs imposed on China, the world’s biggest manufacturer of fireworks, retailers in Atlanta expect their costs will go up, and the prices consumers will pay for fireworks.
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‘I don’t think they’re going to increase tenfold or anything like that. You might see a marginal increase across the board," said Sky King Fireworks Regional Manager Greg Cook.
Cook says his company runs three fireworks stores in metro Atlanta. Most of the inventory he has was delivered back in January and is not subject to the current 145% tariff on goods imported from China. He estimates the price of what he has in stock will only rise a few percent.
“I can’t really say it’s going to increase beyond 10 to 15%. There are a few containers on the water that we are taking a look at. Some pending orders could be cancelled,” said Cook.
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The cost of public firework displays is also expected to rise, according to those who stage displays for cities in Georgia.
“We have raised our prices to our clients to offset the cost of product that is currently coming in from China, or has already landed from China with tariffs on it,” said Pyro Productions co-founder Charles McKinley.
McKinley told Channel 2’s Tom Regan his company stages firework displays in 40 cities in towns in Georgia. They include Woodstock, Newnan and prior fireworks shows at Centennial Olympic Park. He says that for this Fourth of July, costs will increase by around 5%.
“Most of our customers don’t want to back off the amount of shells in their shows. They may want to seek private funding (to cover added costs), which some of our clients are doing,” said McKinley.
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McKinley says he has not heard of any municipality cancelling or compromising displays because of additional costs. He says fireworks providers are more worried about what will happen next year, the 250th anniversary of America.
“Next year, we don’t want America to go dark. Many fireworks containers shipped out of China have been halted because me and others can’t afford to bring products in at those prices,” said McKinley.
The fireworks industry in the United States is asking the Trump administration to exempt its imports from tariffs or reduce the amount.
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