Zepol reports slight increase in overall October imports

Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 15, 2011

MINNEAPOLIS —Trade data specialist Zepol Corp. reports that U.S. import volume rose 0.33% in October compared with September and fell 1% from October 2010.

The report is based on bills of lading information obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is measured in 20-foot containers of goods shipped to the U.S. from around the world and includes furniture and a variety of other goods made overseas.

Based on this information, Zepol also found that year to-date shipments are up 1.13% from last year.

After falling 15% in September, shipments from Europe rose 10% in October due to increased imports from Italy, France and Spain, Zepol said. Imports from Asia dropped about 1.5% from September, while shipments from Central America rose 5%.

Zepol also tracks port activity. Its latest report showed that ports in the Pacific region of the U.S. posted a 0.67% increase in imports in October, following a 9% drop in September. This includes activity at the Port of L.A., which increased 4.5%, and imports into Long Beach, which fell 8.8% from September. The port of Oakland, meanwhile, experienced a drop in imports for the second consecutive month, Zepol reported.