The National Retail Federation gave an update on the nation’s ports, saying it’s going to be a busy summer with high volumes of merchandise landing in the U.S. “Back-to-school supplies are already arriving, and holiday merchandise will be right behind them,” said Jonathan Gold, vice president for supply chain and customs policy for the NRF, in a statement. “And the big wild card is what will happen with West Coast labor negotiations with the current contract set to expire on July 1.” Chinese imports could also increase now that the country has started to relax its COVID-19 prevention measures. The Global Port Tracker forecasts a 7.5% increase in the number of containers ports will handle in June. July is expected to be up 4.8%,a nd August up 0.2%. See: Christmas in July: Hasbro moves up inventory purchases to make sure there are enough toys for the holidays
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