COVID-19
Import

Imports to Take Longer, Larger Hit from Coronavirus Impact Expected

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Factory shutdowns and travel restrictions within China continue to affect production in the country, according the latest Global Port Tracker report from the National Retail Federation/Hackett Associates.

“As factories in China continue to come back online, products are now flowing again,” said Jonathan Gold, VP for supply chain and customs policy at the NRF. “But there are still issues affecting cargo movement, including the availability of truck drivers to move cargo to Chinese ports. Retailers are working with both their suppliers and transportation providers to find paths forward to minimize disruption.”

Forty percent of survey respondents told the NRF that they are experiencing disruptions to their supply chains from the virus, and another 26 percent said they expect supply chain disruptions as the situation continues. Despite the expansion of uncertainty, the latest monthly reports project that by the end of March or early April “some sort of normalcy will have returned to trade.”

Yesterday, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ senior management told Wall Street analysts that most of their national brand vendors “don’t see significant impacts to their (respective) supply chains.” But Dick’s CEO Ed Stack said the chain could see “a little impact” on its business in June.