Predicted October increase for US retail container traffic

These conclusions are based on a survey and analysis of inbound container traffic flows at the ports of Charleston, Hampton Roads, Houston, Long Beach, Los Angeles, New York/New Jersey, Oakland, Savannah, Seattle and Tacoma.

“Retail cargo is back to normal,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. “October is the historic peak of the shipping cycle each year and retailers are bringing merchandise into the country on their usual schedule and at normal levels again instead of being forced to move cargo early. Retailers are poised to succeed in maintaining the careful balance between inventory and sales that keeps customers happy while keeping retailers profitable.”

Global Port Tracker counts only the number of cargo containers imported, not the value of their contents, so cargo volume does not directly correlate with retail sales. Actual retail sales were up during the summer, and NRF is forecasting 2.8% growth in holiday sales this November and December over last year, for a total of US$465.6bn.