World

US retail body reports higher imports, sales growth and early back-to-school season

Jul 16, 2026 United States

US retailers are increasing imports ahead of potential tariff changes, while retail sales continued to grow in June and consumers started their back-to-school shopping earlier than usual

These findings are based on three recent reports published by the National Retail Federation (NRF).

The association projects that import cargo at major US container ports will reach 2.47 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in July. This figure is up 3.3% from a year earlier, surpassing the previous monthly record of 2.4 million TEUs set in May 2022, when the economy was rebounding from the pandemic.

According to Jonathan Gold, the NRF’s Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy, retailers and importers are rushing to bring merchandise into the country to “prepare for potentially higher tariffs beginning in August and other trade uncertainties”.

The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor instead revealed that retail sales increased in June, marking the ninth consecutive month of year-on-year growth.

Total retail sales excluding automobile dealers and petrol stations increased by 0.33% month-on-month and by 9.41% year-on-year in June, on a seasonally adjusted and unadjusted basis respectively. Core retail sales, which exclude restaurants as well as automobile dealers and gasoline stations, rose by 0.36% month-on-month and by 10.08% year-on-year.

Among retail categories, in June, clothing and accessories stores recorded a month-on-month increase of 0.63% on a seasonally adjusted basis, and a year-on-year increase of 13.65% on an unadjusted basis.

“The summer shopping season got off to a strong start in June,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay, adding that “consumers took advantage of summer sales events, and many got an early jump on back-to-school shopping”.

In a separate survey, the NRF found that consumers were starting their back-to-school shopping earlier. By early July, 62% of shoppers had already begun purchasing items for the new school year. Of those who had not yet finished shopping, 46% said they were waiting for the best deals and 23% said they were spreading their budget over a longer period.

Image Credits: rapaport.com

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