The logistics sector’s most aggressive mergers-and-acquisitions player is back in the market and looking for a big catch. DSV CEO Jens Bjørn Andersen tells the WSJ’s Logistics Report’s Paul Berger that he’s looking to expand his reach in the U.S. as he revives a strategy that has helped build the Danish operator into the world’s third-largest freight forwarder. DSV officials at the Danish firm won’t comment on recent reports that DSV has been circling the global forwarding arm of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, the freight brokerage giant that is also the second-largest forwarder by volume in lucrative trans-Pacific trade lanes. The company has been the most ambitious of a set of logistics operators that has redrawn the list of the world’s biggest freight operators in recent years through consolidation. Mr. Andersen says scale carries a premium in logistics, and the scale of the U.S. market has his attention. 

The pandemic-driven reset in the consumer economy is in reverse gear and some companies are struggling to adjust. Bicycle sellers were among the merchants that rode the wave of changing buying patterns in 2020, and the WSJ’s Alex Harring reports they are now weighed down by the excess inventory they amassed to meet the surge in demand and get around supply-chain bottlenecks. Like other merchants of pandemic-popular items, they didn’t anticipate the abrupt pivot in consumer spending. One measure shows revenue at U.S. bicycle retailers declined by 7% in the first half of this year after surging by 46% and 4% during the same periods in 2020 and 2021. The biking version of the supply chain “bullwhip effect” is particularly tough on smaller sellers. Many couldn’t ride the wave of high demand because of production constraints, and now they’re holding more stock than they can peddle.

• Peloton Interactive plans to cut about 800 jobs as it reduces its operating footprint and cut costs. (WSJ)
• Best Buy is cutting large numbers of store jobs across the U.S., as the electronics retailer cuts costs to match changing consumer demand. (WSJ)

Labeling practices that help drive food supply chains may be in for an overhaul. Some grocery stores are reducing their use of labels such as “best by” and “sell by,” the WSJ’s Katie Deighton reports, as they try to reduce food waste and leave it to consumers to determine which products are the freshest. Retail executives say the labels cause confusion and lead to consumers tossing food that may still be good to eat. Several supermarket chains in the U.K. have abandoned various date labels on certain foods. That may help grocers keep products on shelves longer, buying them additional time for goods like produce to travel to stores and to consumers, and cutting their costs. The U.S. has no federal law on date labels for food other than baby formula, making for a hodgepodge of state laws and guidance while prompting calls for national standards. 

• U.S. food-safety regulators plan to phase in over two years new transportation and tracing requirements that take effect in January. (DC Velocity)

Chi­na’s econ­omy stum­bled in July, with measures for factory output, investment and consumer spending all slowing. (WSJ)

U.S. consumer sentiment rose in early August on easing inflation expectations. (WSJ)

The U.K. economy contracted 0.1% in the second quarter as households cut back on spending. (WSJ)

The cost of goods imported into the U.S. fell 1.4% in July, the first decline since December. (MarketWatch)

The shipping operations aimed at restoring Ukraine’s Black Sea exports are picking up momentum. (WSJ)

Revenue at Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies fell 5.9% in the first half of the year. (WSJ)

Steven Cliff is resigning as head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to lead the California Air Resources Board. (WSJ)

New Covid lockdowns in the Chinese manufacturing hub of Yiwu threaten to delay exports of the region’s large numbers of small commodities. (South China Morning Post)

Prices for rare-earth metals are declining amid concerns over possible oversupply. (Nikkei Asia)

United Parcel Service pilots ratified a two-year extension of their contract. (Reuters)

Retailer Ace Hardware plans to add three warehouses totaling 4.4 million square feet in the U.S. over the next five years. (Retail Dive)

U.S. maritime regulators are considering demanding greater information sharing by container lines under an emergency order. (Journal of Commerce)

The voyage of the first ship carrying grain out of Ukraine highlights the complex and secretive nature of commodities trading and its layers of middlemen and insurers. (Financial Times)

Bulk-ship values are sliding as rates in the commodities shipping market decline. (Lloyd’s List)

Eagle Bulk is maintaining its positive market outlook after second-quarter profits rose roughly 10-fold to $94.5 million. (ShippingWatch)

An Iranian tanker was being reloaded with crude oil after a Greek court ruled the U.S. seizure of the shipment was unjustified. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Israeli container line Zim invested $5.5 million in tracking software firm Hoopo Systems. (Splash 247)

Aurora Innovation is pushing back the rollout of its self-driving trucks because of delays in getting parts from suppliers. (Supply Chain Dive)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Write to him at paul.page@wsj.com.

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on Twitter at @WSJLogistics.