Retail imports expected to grow

Imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are expected to grow 4.9 percent during the first half of 2018 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. The growth forecast is due in part to retail sales growth, which is expected to grow between 3.8 and 4.4 percent over 2017’s $3.53 trillion. While cargo volume does not correlate directly with sales because only the number of containers is counted, not the value of the cargo inside, it does provide a barometer of retailers’ expectations.