COVID-19 Surge, Port Delays Threaten Retailers’ Holiday Plans

If the ports are any indication of what is to come at the end of this year, trouble lies ahead for retailers this upcoming holiday season. An August report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates estimated that U.S. container ports would handle 2.37 million twenty-foot containers in August, a 12.6% bump from last year and the highest number of containers imported in one month since the NRF began tracking imports in 2002. A follow-up September report from the NRF and Hackett Associates predicts 2.21 million containers, an uptick of about 5.1% from last year. These months are important because August signifies the beginning of the peak season when retailers stock up on holiday merchandise. Read more at Retail Dive.