national-retail-federation
Editor's Note by Gary Burrows for FBJNA's July-August issue, available soon
There was a time when the logistics decision was relatively straightforward.
The cargo was ready. Capacity was available. The rate was acceptable. The shipment moved.
Those decisions were never simple, but they were largely transportation decisions.
Increasingly, they are not.
Today, the questions come before the shipment:
• What tariff will apply when the cargo arrives?
• Will the Strait of Hormuz still be operating normally?
• ...
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Though the Port of Long Beach saw a 5 percent decline in in containerized cargo in March, the San Pedro port still led North American ports for the month and through the first quarter of 2026, CEO Noel Hacegaba said during the port’s monthly Supply Chain Insight briefing.
Dockworkers and terminal ...
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U.S. import volumes at major container ports are expected to post their first month-over-month increase in six months in January but remain below year-earlier levels until late spring, according to the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
January volume is forecast at 2.11 million ...
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U.S. retail sales posted strong growth in December, bringing 2025 holiday spending in line with forecasts for record results, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor.
Holiday sales from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 rose 4.1 percent from a year earlier, near the upper end of the National Retail Federation’s projected range ...
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U.S. consumers plan to spend US$890.49 per person on average this year on holiday gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal items, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual consumer survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics.
The amount is the second-highest in the survey’s 23-year history and falls only 1.3 percent ...
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Retail sales slowed on a monthly basis in September after a busy summer, but year-over-year increases remain strong as retailers prepare for the holiday season, said the National Retail Federation.
According to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, powered by Affinity Solutions, total retail sales, excluding automobiles and gasoline, were down 0.66 percent ...
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Though import cargo at major U.S. container ports were poised to rebound in July following a double-digit late spring plunge, a late summer swoon is expected once previously paused tariffs take effect Aug. 1, according to the National Retail Federation.
NRF’s Global Port Tracker, created with consultant Hackett Associates, projects June ...
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At 2025’s halfway point, it’s still anyone’s guess as to the impact new tariffs and government upheaval will have on the U.S. economy, admitted National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz July 8.
“This year began with high expectations for the strength of the U.S. economy,” Kleinhenz said, noting strong 2.8 ...
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U.S. Census Bureau data released June 17 showed continued growth in core retail sales – which exclude autos, gas and restaurants – in May despite a downturn in overall sales amid on-again, off-again tariffs on imported merchandise, said National Retail Federation Chief Economist Jack Kleinhen.
“Despite a soft labor market, aggregate ...
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Retail sales in March snapped a two-month series of declines, but those gains were moderate, as consumers continued to anguish over rising tariffs, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor, the National Retail Federation said April 14.
The improved spending “came before the president’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariff announcement,” said Matthew Shay, NRF ...
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