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Asia to U.S. Contracted Container Space is Sold Out

It is going to be a challenging year for the entire shipping industry. March imports in the Transpacific jumped 51%. Every major trade publication is predicting that the 2021 space issues will be much worse than what the industry experienced in 2020. The carriers have sold out all space for the 2021-22 contract period. This unprecedented space crisis is going to present many…

Look Deeper For The Real Story

By Peter Giannetti Encouraging signs at retail continue as we head toward a back half of widespread vaccination and potentially easing pandemic restrictions. But under the surface of such positive development bubbles some uncertainty for a home and housewares business that has soared as a shopper priority during the pandemic. Read past the boldfaced type of the 9.8%…

Some Things Never Change

by Peter Giannetti There were many things the past year about which I never imagined I’d have to write. The next line is one of them: I attended my first in-person trade show in 14 months. When I stepped inside the lobby of 41 Madison Avenue recently for the spring New York Tabletop Show, it began my first physical show experience since Germany’s Ambiente in February of…

Global Retail Intelligence – April

April 14 – JD.com Creates Offline Catering Supply Chain SolutionJD.com with Juqi, a dinning chain in Beijing, announced a supply chain cooperation, positioning JD.com as the first platform in China capable of providing a one-stop supply chain solution covering both the full category of food and materials supply, and integrated warehousing and distribution services. Through the…

Carriers Flex Their Muscles During Negotiations

Ocean contract negotiations for cargo moving from Asia to the US are coming to an abrupt end. Negotiations in this market traditionally start in February and last until the end of April. The unprecedented demand in the market has drastically changed the negotiation timetable. Carriers have made it clear that shippers waiting to finalize contracts at the end of April in hopes of…

COVID-Related Legislative and Regulatory Changes for Employers

On March 11, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law. The $1.9 trillion “ARP” is different than the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that passed with bipartisan votes in March 2020 and initiated the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and new tax breaks. Aside from targeted financial programs for…

U.S. Retail Intelligence – March

March 27 – Star Market Goes Big in FenwayThe retailer is planning a 50,000-square-foot store for a mixed-use development as part of an expansion at 401 Park. From: Win sight Grocery Business March 26 – J.C. Penney's Interim Chief Sees Signs of GrowthJ.C. Penney is seeing weekly improvements, especially in specific growth categories including workout wear and home goods,…

Global Retail Intelligence – March

March 19 – Alibaba Launches a Self-Driving Robot for DeliveriesAlibaba group will launch a self-driving delivery vehicle across 15 universities in China in March. Each self-driving robot will be capable of making 500 daily deliveries, for which students can make appointments for the deliveries to be made directly to their dorms. With demand of deliveries on the rise and China…

Service Contracts Underway for Asia to US Cargo

Shippers moving containers from Asia to the US are in the midst of very tough service contract negotiations. As anticipated, the carriers are demanding very strict container commitment guidelines, reductions in free time and significant rate increases. Finding sufficient carriers to meet your forecasted container demand has been the biggest challenge for shippers since 2021…