Cargo Business Newswire

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

NRF: March imports to rise 12 percent as retailers prepare for seasonal shift

Import cargo at major U.S. retail container ports is forecast to rise 12.4 percent in March as retailers stock up for the spring and the summer seasons, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

"Retailers are bouncing back from the annual post-holiday slowdown and getting ready for the surge in activity that comes each year as the weather warms up," said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. "Shelves are going to be well-stocked with everything from bathing suits to barbecues."

"Congestion has been a problem for many ports during this slowdown, so operations will need to improve to handle the expected surge in the coming months," Gold added.

Cargo movement at some ports has been slowed by severe winter weather and shortages of labor and equipment, the report said.

U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.36 million TEUs in January, up 4.1 percent year-over-year.

The GPT forecast for February 2014 is down 8.8 percent year-over-year at 1.17 million TEUs, March is up 12.4 percent at 1.28 million TEUs, April up 5.1 percent at 1.36 million TEUs, May up 3.7 percent at 1.44 million TEUs, June up 5.3 percent at 1.43 million TEUs, and July up 3.4 percent at 1.49 million TEUs, up 3.4 percent. The first half of the year is expected to total 8 million TEUs, up 3.5 percent over last year.

The total for 2013 was 16.2 million TEUs, up 2.3 percent from compared with 2012's 15.8 million TEUs.

NRF is predicting 4.1 percent sales growth in 2014, depending on how federal policies on economic issues affect consumer confidence.

"At the end of the day, it all depends on consumption," Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. "Somehow, the average consumer needs to be given the economic confidence to go out and spend. Without that, the economy will remain weak and no amount of tinkering by the Federal Reserve will have much of an impact."

Global Port Tracker covers the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle, Tacoma, New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Houston.