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US retail imports expected to drop to typically slow February levels

US IMPORT volume through American container ports is expected to drop 8.4 per cent year on year in February, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

"Retailers will be moving spring merchandise toward their shelves in just a few weeks, and early numbers point to a busy season ahead," said federation vice president Jonathan Gold.

US ports followed by the Port Tracker handled 1.3 million TEU in December, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was down 3.3 per cent from November as the holiday season came to an end but up 0.6 per cent from December 2012.

The December numbers brought 2013 to a total of 16.2 million TEU, up 2.3 per cent from 2012's 15.8 million TEU.

January was estimated at 1.37 million TEU, up 4.5 per cent from January 2013. February, historically the slowest month of the year, is forecast at 1.17 million TEU, down 8.4 per cent from the same month last year.

March is forecast at 1.29 million TEU, up 13.7 per cent from last year; April at 1.39 million TEU, up 6.9 per cent; May at 1.45 million TEU, up 4.2 per cent; and June at 1.43 million TEU, up 5.6 per cent.

Those numbers would total 8.1 million TEU for the first half of the year, up 4.3 per cent over last year.

The import numbers come as retail federation is forecasting 4.1 per cent sales growth in 2014, contingent on how Washington policies on economic issues affect consumer confidence.