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NRF: Big retail import surge continuing this summer

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April 9, 2021

An unprecedented surge of imports at retail container ports, which began in the summer of 2020, is expected to continue throughout the upcoming summer.

That's the prediction of the National Retail Federation's Global Port Tracker report.

"We've never seen imports at this high a level for such an extended period of time," Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for Supply Chain and Customs Policy, said in a release on the report. "Records have been broken multiple times and near-record numbers are happening almost every month. Between federal stimulus checks and money saved by staying home for the better part of a year, consumers have money in their pockets and they're spending it with retailers as fast as retailers can stock their shelves."

Imports hit their lowest point in four years last March as the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic took hold, but cargo rebounded and hit a record-setting number in August as the economy reopened.

The surge resulted in months of backups at ports, which have faced labor shortages because of COVID-19 infections and equipment shortages because of the volume.

"Congestion at U.S. ports is abating as container carriers and terminals adjust to the new normal," Hackett said in the release. "We saw the busiest February on record as the ports worked to clear the backlog, and the number of ships at anchor in San Pedro Bay waiting to dock at Los Angeles and Long Beach is dropping."