Retail Imports Expected to Set Monthly Records Through June, Says NRF

Imports at the largest U.S. retail container ports are expected to set new monthly records into the summer as the economy continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, reported the National Retail Federation Monday. U.S. ports handled 2.11 million 20-foot-long containers or their equivalents in December, up 0.2% from November and 22.3% higher than in December 2019, said NRF. That brought 2020 to 22 million containers, up 1.9% from 2019, beating the previous record of 21.8 million in 2018. “The import numbers we’re seeing reflect retailers’ expectations for consumer demand to the point that many factories in Asia that normally close for Chinese New Year this month are remaining open to keep up,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president-supply chain and customs policy. “Regardless of whether it’s in-store or on retailers’ websites, the record holiday season and numbers for 2020 show consumers are buying again and have been for a while.”