Thanks to Shoppers, Retailers Imports are Up

The National Retail Federation (NRF) reports that retail imports have increased and will continue to increase for the next several months, states the International Freighting Weekly magazine. Febuary was the first month in 2010 that reported an increase in imports, followed by predictions of about a 2 to 10 percent increase each month following.

“We expect these numbers to continue to climb as merchants and their customers move away from recession and back toward normal shopping habits,” states Jonathan Gold, NRF VP for supply chain and customs policy.

In March, US container ports handled more than 1 million teu, up 6% year-on-year. April is expects about an 8 percent gain then from last year.