July 24, 2026 Weekly Retail Supply Chain News

Retailers are rushing to import fall, back-to-school, and winter holiday merchandise well ahead of schedule.

• Record Import Volumes: Major US container ports are handling massive volume spikes, with July forecast at 2.47 million TEUs—pushing past previous historical monthly records.
• Driving Factors: The push is being driven by retailers aiming to frontload stock before the Section 122 temporary global tariffs expire (July 24) and ahead of anticipated new trade policies later this summer.
• Logistics Bottlenecks: This surge has pushed Transpacific ocean spot rates to their highest levels of the year, leading to tightened inland warehousing capacity and drayage constraints across key intermodal corridors. To secure transport, shippers are increasingly using Less-than-Container Load (LCL) options rather than waiting for full containers.

• Amazon Drops 2026 Peak Fees & Sets Inventory Inbound Alarms: Amazon released its official 2026 holiday fulfillment fee structure for FBA, Buy with Prime, and Multi-Channel Fulfillment, with peak season fulfillment fees starting October 15. Crucially, Amazon told sellers that holiday inventory must be checked into facilities by the third and fourth weeks of October to prevent network gridlock.
• Amazon Shipping Rate War: Recent industry platform data indicates Amazon is aggressively using its external delivery service (Amazon Shipping) to undercut traditional carriers. By waiving heavy surcharges, Amazon is luring mid-market retailers away from UPS and FedEx with savings up to 33% annually on eligible residential parcels.
• FedEx Supply Chain Sale: French ocean shipping giant CMA CGM signed a definitive agreement to acquire FedEx Supply Chain for $1.4 billion, signaling further consolidation between ocean freight and contract logistics.
• Grocery Retail Consolidation: Grocery logistics received a major shakeup as Kroger agreed to acquire regional giant Giant Eagle in a $1.65 billion deal ($1.25 billion cash + $400 million liabilities).

• USMCA Review: Following the July 1 deadline where the US blocked an immediate blanket 16-year extension of the USMCA, supply chains are adjusting to a formal annual review process. While duty-free status remains intact for compliant goods, shippers are tightening origin-compliance protocols to avoid long-term tariff exposure.
• Canada Tariff Surcharges: The administration applied new 50% Section 338 duties on targeted Canadian imports, causing friction for cross-border industrial and agricultural supply chains.