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NRF: Retail Container Traffic to Show Increase in First Half of 2012
February 15,
2012 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in economic news on February 16, 2012
Import cargo volume at the nations major retail container ports is expected to be down 6.8 percent in February from the same month a year ago, but should show year-over-year increases through most of the remaining first half of 2012, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the
National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.
With consumer confidence building, retailers are optimistic that the economy is recovering but are continuing to be cautious with their inventory levels, said Jonathan Gold, NRF vice president for supply chain and customs policy. Merchants want to be sure that growth will be sustained and that demand will be there to meet supply.
U.S. ports followed by Global Port Tracker handled 1.17 million, 20-foot equivalent units in December, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was down 6 percent from November since holiday merchandise was already on the shelves but up 2 percent from December 2010.
January 2012 was estimated at 1.17 million TEU, down 3.3 percent from January 2011, and February, historically the slowest month of the year, is forecast at 1.03 million TEU, down 6.8 percent from a year ago. Increases are expected to resume in March, forecast at 1.18 million TEU, up 8.6 percent from last year. April is forecast at 1.25 million TEU, up 2.4 percent; May at 1.28 million TEU, down 0.7 percent; and June at 1.28 million, up 3 percent. The first half of 2012 should total 7.18 million TEU, up 0.5 percent from the same period last year.
Current statistics suggest that the economy will continue to improve as we continue into 2012, Hackett Associates founder Ben Hackett said. The question is will wholesalers and retailers be able to manage their inventories as well as they did in 2011? Most likely, yes.
Global Port Tracker covers the U.S. ports of Long Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Hampton Roads, Charleston and Savannah on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast.