Topic: E-commerce

Quarterly consolidated revenue, at $21.2 billion, fell 2.7% annually, and basic earnings per share, at $1.55 (short of Wall Street estimates of $1.57), fell $0.24, or 13.4%, annually. Total operating profit, at $1.8 billion, decreased 6.3% annually. 

The package from UPS includes $1,800 per year of service at UPS, with a minimum payout of $10,000, with all years of service honored. The company has more than 10,000 full-time drivers with 25 years of service or more.

June retail sales, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading day differences but not price changes, came in at $720.1 billion, up 0.6% over May’s $715.5 billion and up 3.9% annually. And total retail sales, from April through June, posted a 4.1% annual gain compared to the same period a year ago.

Chattanooga, Tenn.-based 3PL Kenco recently announced it has officially introduced its Contract Packaging Division, which it describes as a strategic investment covering secondary packaging that will “further simplify customers’ operations and strengthen Kenco’s position as a one-stop shop for supply chain management.”

In its “Q2 U.S. Industrial Market Report,” the firm observed that second quarter net national absorption, at 29.9 million square-feet (MSF), was in line with the first quarter’s 30.3 MSF tally, adding that the second quarter output came in ahead of expectations, and also that demand was paced by “newly built logistics product,” which the firm defines as warehouses built since 20023.

LM Group News Editor Jeff Berman recently spoke with Tim Hotze, Senior Vice President Operations Planning, Network Steering and Optimization, for Target, at the SMC3 Connections conference in Salt Lake City last month. Hotze provided a detailed overview of key facets of Target's supply chain and logistics operations, including: sourcing, tariffs, AI, and Peak Season, among other topics.

The move targets low-cost shipments from companies like Shein and Temu, which have relied on the rule to avoid tariffs.

The 36th Annual State of Logistics (SoL) Report highlights a logistics market tested by economic and geopolitical uncertainties. Despite ongoing disruptions, including rising tariffs and environmental challenges, the report showcases strategies that logistics professionals are using to adapt and maintain resilience. With e-commerce growth driving demand for faster deliveries and more efficient operations, the report offers a snapshot of the industry's current state and forecasts for 2025.

A new Gartner report urges supply chain leaders to reroute shipments, prep CFOs for rising costs, and revisit risk plans.

Bonn, Germany-based DHL said that Mark Kunar, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Strategy Officer, for DHL Supply Chain North America, has been promoted to CEO, effective June 20. Greenwich, Conn.-based global contract logistics services provider GXO Logistics Inc. recently announced that former DHL Supply Chain CEO Patrick Kelleher will become its CEO later this summer.

Execs from CH Robinson, GEODIS Americas, Kenco and RXO to also speak as part of 3PL and Logistics track.

Smith’s career ascension and leadership, in the creation of FedEx, originally established as the air ground Federal Express network in 1973, reads as a case study in how to create a business and shape it into one of the most successful and established companies in the world.

Commerce reported that May retail sales, at $715.4 billion, fell 0.9% compared to April and rose 3.3% annually. NRF reported that monthly core retail sales, which are based on Census data and exclude automobile dealers, gas stations, and restaurants, increased 0.1% on a seasonally-adjusted basis, from April to May, and rose 3.9% on an unadjusted basis annually.

The company explained that this investment comprises its major divisions—DHL Express, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Supply Chain, and DHL eCommerce, in various ways, including enhancing infrastructure, expanding networks and capacity, and elevating service capabilities.

A new report issued by Brookfield, Wis.-based supply chain consultancy and global third-party logistics (3PL) research provider Armstrong & Associates, in collaboration with the National Home Delivery Association, examines the current state of a key aspect of the last-mile delivery market, big and bulky last-mile delivery.

In this podcast, Jeff Berman, Group News Editor for Logistics Management and the Peerless Media Supply Chain Group, interviews Brandon Fried, Executive Director at the Washington, D.C.-based Airforwarders Association (AfA).

Logistics industry braces for prolonged legal battle over IEEPA, as tariff status whiplash complicates supply chain strategy and capital planning.

The de minimis exemption, which allowed shipments under $800 sent from China and Hong Kong to the U.S. to not be subject to tariffs, and officially came to an end on May 2. With this change now in effect, it requires all shipments from these regions—regardless of value—to undergo full customs processing and be subject to applicable tariffs, as noted in various reports.

For UPS Ground Domestic and UPS Ground Saver, the average price per gallon at least $2.29 but less than $2.47 will have a 17.50% surcharge, with that scale rising per $0.25 for every $0.18, up to a 20.50% surcharge for an average price per gallon at least $4.00 but less than $4.09

The April IBI Active Index reading came in at 54.4 (a reading of 50 or higher indicates growth is occurring), following a 58.4 first quarter reading and 19 months in the high 50s and low 60s range. And the IBI Utilization rate headed up to 85.1, after a collective 84.6 reading over February and March.