The global supply chain disruptions are showing no signs of slowing down, and that’s leading to continued growth at U.S ports.
According to the latest edition of the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Hackett Associates, retail imports at the largest container ports in the U.S. are continuing to show double-digit growth over last year.
“The year-over-year growth we saw this spring was off the charts because the comparisons were against a time when most stores were shut down due to the pandemic,” says NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold. “But we’re continuing to see strong growth even as we enter a point when stores had begun to reopen last year. That’s a sign of the tremendous demand from consumers. The challenge for retailers and supply chains is keeping shelves stocked as port congestion and other supply chain disruptions continue to impact the industry and the economy more broadly.”
Using the most recently available data, the Twenty-foot Equivalent Units (TFE) for the first half of this year are up 35.6% compared to 2020.
Look for further updates on the state of the global shipping crisis in the August issue of the Toy Book.
