Uber sets its sights on long-haul trucking and brokerage markets

For shippers, carriers, brokerages and really all other industry stakeholders that have not given much thought to the possibility of Uber becoming a truckload carrier, it appears it may be time to change that mindset.

As fewer shoppers visit the mall, these retailers are actually growing traffic

Free yoga classes. Interactive cooking tutorials. Virtual reality mirrors. With foot traffic continuing down a slippery slide, retailers are finding creative ways to get consumers into their stores.

US retail sales fell 0.3% in Aug vs. 0.1% drop expected

U.S. retail sales fell more than expected in August amid weak purchases of automobiles and a range of other goods, pointing to cooling domestic demand that could further diminish expectations of a Federal Reserve interest rate increase next week.

Fallout from Hanjin’s bankruptcy has potential to impact ocean rates and capacity in the short-term

With Korean ocean carrier Hanjin Shipping, the seventh largest ocean liner in the world that handles roughly 7% of U.S.-Asia cargo, filing for bankruptcy earlier this week, what happens next in regards to what happens to the cargo that was moving on Hanjin vessels at that time, as well as its subsequent short-term impact on the global supply chain remains far from clear.

US retailers reducing inventory, but e-commerce stock balance still tricky

Signs the long-awaited reduction of U.S. inventories is underway are surfacing in the earnings reports of some major retailers, including Wal-Mart, the largest U.S. retailer. But retailers also show signs of struggling to strike a balance between on-line and in-store goods.
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Nestle, General Mills in favor of national food dating standard; shelf life impact questions loom

Nestle voiced its support Wednesday for legislation proposed in the House and Senate that aims to reduce food waste by standardizing date labels on food and beverage products. General Mills also announced its support for a national date labeling standard.

Retail Sales Gain Is Fueled by Web

Consumers boosted spending in April to the highest levels in more than a year, accelerating their turn toward online shopping and widening the divide between in-store retailers and Internet outlets pitching lower prices and convenience.
(This article requires a subscription to the Wall Street Journal. To access, please click on the above link.)

As Online Shopping Intensifies, Outlook Dims for Mall Stores

Online shopping is reaching such a critical mass with American households that many of the icons of the traditional mall – from Macy’s to The Gap and J.C. Penney – face an increasingly uncertain future.

U.S. Imports See Steady Climb, But Not Likely to Reach 2015’s Record Numbers

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports has begun its annual climb toward summer levels but is expected to be largely flat when compared with last year’s record high numbers, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

How Amazon Will Kill Your Local Grocer

Amazon’s done it to books. And electronics. And clothing. Now it wants to rule the grocery aisles. But Amazon still has a ways to go — the online retailing behemoth has taken a slow, yet calculated approach to attacking the grocery store.