U.S. Toys Imports Drop 9 Percent Despite Coming Holidays

NEWARK, N.J., Oct. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Toys imports into the United States tumbled 9 percent year-over-year in September, as the country's retailers apparently chose caution over Christmas cheer heading into the 2011 holiday season, according to figures from The Journal of Commerce/PIERS.

The drop in container volume, most of it from China, was the eighth straight for toys coming into the United States and a strong sign that the nation's stores are concerned with figures showing waning consumer confidence and opting to keep inventories lean rather than face deep-discount sales.

The 60,616 20-foot-equivalent units arriving at ports in September, according to measurements by PIERS, marked a 7.6 percent year-to-date drop – or 30,430 fewer containers – from the same period last year.

"There is a strong inverse correlation between toys imports volume (in 20-foot equivalent units) and toys import prices over the last seven years," said Mario O. Moreno, economist for The Journal of Commerce/PIERS. "When toys import prices increase, the tendency for demand is to decline ... 74 percent of the time."

Of the 2011 year-to-date overall inbound toy shipments, 89 percent originated in China (including Hong Kong), where labor and material costs are on the rise as the U.S. dollar value against the Yuan decreases. Although China's market share is down two percentage points from 2010 and toy shipments from Vietnam have grown 82 percent between 2001 and 2010, China's stronger infrastructure will keep any sourcing shift away from the country small and slow, Moreno said.

A full analysis of the JOC/PIERS findings is available online at www.joc.com.

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About PIERS -- PIERS is the most comprehensive database of U.S. waterborne trade activity in the world providing information services to thousands of subscribers globally. Launched more than 35 years ago, PIERS was the first venture in digital global trade intelligence and quickly became the industry standard for accuracy, reliability and insight. Our unique infrastructure and proprietary technology allow us to not only publish import data but also complete coverage of U.S. export transactional data. PIERS is a division of UBM Global Trade, and a sister company of The Journal of Commerce.  For more information, visit www.piers.com, or call 800-952-3839 (+1-973-776-8660).

About UBM Global Trade -- UBM Global Trade is the leading provider of proprietary data, news, business intelligence and analytical content supporting commercial maritime, rail, trucking, warehousing and logistics industries worldwide. The company's portfolio of more than 100 online, print and interactive workflow business solutions includes The Journal of Commerce, Breakbulk, RailResource, PIERS and an array of international trade and transportation databases and directories. UBM Global Trade, a subsidiary of UBM LLC, is headquartered in Newark, NJ, with offices throughout the United States. For more information, explore www.ubmglobaltrade.com or call 800-223-0243 (+1-973-848-7250 outside the U.S. or Canada).  

SOURCE UBM Global Trade