September 18, 2026 Weekly Retail Supply Chain News

A new EY report published September 17 finds that 94% of consumer products supply chain executives say they’re actively transforming their function—but only 9% report having actually embedded that transformation into day-to-day operations, and just 37% of CP CEOs say AI is delivering measurable impact so far.

The Shift: Rather than a story of AI moving smoothly from pilot to production, the data points to a stalled middle: most retail and CP supply chains have committed to transformation in principle but are struggling to convert it into operational reality.

Focus Area: EY’s recommendations center on closing the gap between “signal and execution”—shortening the time between a demand or disruption signal and an organization’s response—along with strengthening integrated business planning (IBP) and redesigning operating models, rather than any single unified tech platform. For retailers, the takeaway is less about a wave of AI rollouts and more about the operational and organizational work still needed to make existing investments pay off.

According to NRF’s Global Port Tracker, released September 9, U.S. retail container imports are on track to hit 2.31 million TEU this month—up 9.6% year-over-year and just enough to edge out July as 2026’s busiest month.

The Driver: The extended peak isn’t just about weather and shipping-lane congestion, though both are factors—vessel delays tied to bad weather in China and rerouting away from a drought-strained Panama Canal are pushing cargo timelines later. NRF also points to tariff increases, broader inflation, and elevated fuel prices linked to the Iran conflict as contributors to the shift.

The Takeaway: Rather than a standard late-autumn peak, import volume has compressed into September as retailers work around a combination of transit disruptions and rising costs, adding pressure to get Q4 inventory positioned before further delays or price increases compound.

Diesel prices hit a record high in mid-September, climbing to over $6 a gallon — the highest level since EIA record-keeping began in 1994. That surge is rippling through producer prices: the PPI’s intermediate demand index for processed goods rose 11.5% year-over-year in August, with diesel itself up 24.1% within that measure and energy costs driving more than 80% of the month’s increase.

The Impact: Retail supply chain managers are absorbing higher costs at multiple points—elevated diesel is pushing up the price of moving finished goods from ports to regional distribution centers, while the broader jump in intermediate input costs adds pressure further upstream. Separately, freight-market trackers report spot rates running about 11% above year-ago levels, a four-year high, even as underlying truckload volumes stay relatively soft—meaning carriers and shippers alike are being squeezed primarily by fuel rather than by demand growth.