Retailer headaches over inventories are unlikely to end with the holidays. Businesses that have been rushing to get shelves stocked this year may face a new challenge soon, the WSJ Logistics Report’s Jennifer Smith and Lydia O’Neal write, as late-arriving shipments raise the potential for excess or outdated inventory. The cloud hanging over inventory planning is the latest result of the pandemic-driven turmoil that has knocked supply chains off balance this year. Retailers face high stakes this quarter, and bottlenecks across distribution networks add new layers of uncertainty. Although broad measures show inventories still at historically low levels, vast quantities of goods are stuck in logjams and could hit storefronts too late for the critical sales season. The concerns are particularly strong at smaller merchants that lack the clout or the capital to ship around the backups and that soon may have more inventory on hand than they bargained for.

The A Kinka carried televisions, cookware, Fender guitars and thousands of table-top games when it joined the queue off the Southern California ports in September. The small container ship was a tiny addition to the logjam, but the WSJ’s Stephanie Stamm, Ruth Simon, Austen Hufford and Inti Pacheco write that the vessel’s eight-week wait for a berth at the U.S. gateway complex tied up a wide array of shippers, highlighting the far-reaching impact of turmoil in supply chains. More than 100 companies had cargo on the 574-foot-long ship, including giants like Amazon. But for smaller businesses that were waiting for just one or two containers, the delays have taken a heavy toll, leaving some with disgruntled customers and significant financial pain. One small firm had Halloween boots that missed Halloween. Another couldn’t get paid for $250,000 worth of lighting fixtures it had sold until they were delivered.

Sean O’Brien believes this is organized labor’s time. The 49-year-old Mr. O’Brien is gearing up to succeed James P. Hoffa as general president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and he tells the WSJ’s Allison Prang that there is “an appetite to take on employers, big and small, nationally and locally.” The Boston-area Teamster is promising an energetic and aggressive approach to organizing and negotiating, which may echo across transportation and logistics operations. The union is moving to organize Amazon workers and it has been making efforts at XPO Logistics sites. But United Parcel Service is the largest employer of Teamsters and the package carrier’s labor contract expires in 2023. Mr. O’Brien has been among the critics of that pact. He says any strike should be a “last resort,” but his outlook suggests that UPS shouldn’t expect an easy path in the new negotiations. 

U.S. exports jumped 8.1% from September to October while imports constrained by port backlogs rose 0.9%. (WSJ)

China’s exports rose 22% in November from a year ago and shipments to the U.S. were up 5.3%. (MarketWatch)

The Turkish lira has shed nearly half of its value against the dollar this year. (WSJ)

Samsung replaced its three co-CEOs and merged its mobile and consumer electronics units in a bid to create a more cohesive product ecosystem. (WSJ)

Auto maker Stellantis is targeting about $22.6 billion in annual revenue by the end of the decade through selling software-led offerings and subscriptions related to its cars. (WSJ)

The U.S. is lending $500 million to build a solar-panel factory in India as part of a bid to weaken China’s dominance of solar-industry supply chains. (WSJ)

Constellation Brands will build a brewery in southeastern Mexico amid turmoil in its operations in the country. (WSJ)

American Airlines President Robert Isom will succeed Doug Parker as chief executive next year. (WSJ)

Online home-goods seller Wayfair is opening three stores in its biggest bet yet on physical retail. (WSJ)

China merged several transport and logistics operators into a single state-owned China Logistics Group that includes investment from big ocean and air companies. (Channel News Asia)

Global container volumes slipped 2% year-over-year in October and North American imports fell 7% from September and 1% on an annual basis. (Lloyd’s List)

Container shipping lines are canceling growing numbers of sailings through some ports to improve trans-Pacific schedules. (Journal of Commerce)

Moody’s expects the container and dry-bulk shipping markets to cool down after robust growth this year. (ShippingWatch)

The Informa group plans to sell the Intelligence division that includes maritime publication Lloyd’s List. (Financial Times)

The Baltic Exchange shows airfreight rates from Asia to the U.S. soaring to record highs. (Lloyd’s Loading List)

The pace of truck drivers leaving the industry in the U.K. has slowed down. (Reuters)

Canadian railroads face enormous backlogs as they slowly resume service through flood-hit British Columbia. (Canadian Press)

Brian Kenny will retire as CEO of railcar leasing company GATX and executive Robert Lyons will succeed him. (Business Journals)

Grocery chain Wegman’s is moving to eliminate diesel trucks in its private fleet. (Grocery Business)

Workers at Coca-Cola's distribution center in Bethlehem, Pa., went on strike. (WFMZ)

Foodservice supplier McLane named Chris Smith, a former chief supply chain officer at Walgreens and C&S Wholesale, as president of its supply chain unit. (CStoreDecisions)

Poland detained a Russian general cargo vessel after the drunken crew nearly ran the ship onto a beach. (Maritime Executive)

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

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