A slowdown in online consumer sales growth is buffeting the sprawling sector of fulfillment services providers. Startup Stord is trying to boost its revenue stream through acquisition, the WSJ Logistics Report’s Liz Young writes, in a deal that adds warehousing scale while signaling a potential looming consolidation in the highly-fragmented field. Stord, which was valued at $1.3 billion in a funding round nearly two years ago, is buying ProPack Logistics and its six warehouses across North America. The deal comes as venture backing for logistics-focused startups is receding and companies are under greater pressure to produce profits. Stord says its sales grew at a 300% annual pace in 2020 and 2021, when pandemic-driven demand fueled a boom in online sales. Growth has since retreated and some retailers are slowing their investments in e-commerce. Experts say that’s pushing fulfillment specialists to get more creative to keep revenue growing.

• FedEx and United Parcel Service are adding surcharges for deliveries in 82 ZIP codes in five major U.S. cities. (Supply Chain Dive)

Amazon’s third-party sellers say returns fraud is crushing them. One merchant says she had to rebuild her business after being flooded with junk rather than the original products. The WSJ’s Sebastian Herrera writes that return theft represents one sore point in what has become an often contentious relationship between Amazon and its independent sellers. The practice is the dark side of Amazon’s system of easy returns, part of its effort to place pleasing customers at the heart of its business model. The National Retail Federation says return fraud has become a “major issue,” with about 13.7% of returns deemed fraudulent in 2023, accounting for $101 billion in overall losses for retailers. Sellers count on Amazon to recover money lost from scam returns, but they say claims can take weeks to process and may only cover part of the loss. Amazon doesn’t disclose the overall financial impact of the phenomenon.

U.S. imports by value rose 2.2% from January to February while exports jumped 2.3%. (MarketWatch)

Canada’s merchandise goods exports jumped 5.8% in February to the highest level since June. (WSJ)

Business activity in the eurozone’s private sector returned to growth last month despite lagging expansion in Germany and France. (WSJ)

A key benchmark for crude oil prices has climbed 18% this year. (WSJ)

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is telling Chinese officials in a trip to Beijing that the U.S. will do what it takes to protect U.S. industries. (WSJ)

Food supplier Conagra is battling cooler demand for its refrigerated and frozen products. (WSJ)

Boeing paid Alaska Airlines $160 million to make up for lost profits due to the mid-air blowout of a door plug. (WSJ)

Ford is delaying the launch of a new electric vehicle in a weakening market for EVs. (WSJ)

EV maker Fisker is halting all financial and operational guidance as it evaluates strategic alternatives. (WSJ)

Efforts to clear the Port of Baltimore shipping channel are complicated by an underwater natural gas pipeline that spans the waterway. (Baltimore Sun)

China has become one of the biggest sources of foreign direct investment in Mexico as Chinese companies look to avoid U.S. tariffs. (South China Morning Post)

Chilean politicians are trying to convince the country’s only steelmaker to reverse a decision to shutter operations due to an influx of cheap Chinese product. (Bloomberg)

McKinsey says the commodity trading industry made record estimated profits of $104 billion last year. (Financial Times)

Terminal operator DP World and Brazilian railway operator Rumo are building a $500 million grain and fertilizer terminal at the Port of Santos. (Splash 247)

Finland’s trade unions will halt a strike at the country’s ports Monday in hopes of reviving negotiations. (The Loadstar)

Sporting goods retailer Sportsman’s Warehouse will scale down its financial reporting as it copes with falling earnings and aging inventories. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Workers at a vehicle transport facility run by a unit of Canadian National ratified a contract, ending a 37-day strike. (CBC)

Oregon’s governor signed into law a measure seeking to protect warehouse workers’ rights. (DC Velocity)

The U.S. charged eight men with stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of beer in thefts targeting warehouses and train yards. (New York Times)

• The massive effort to contain the supply chain fallout from the Baltimore bridge disaster is already proving costly and complicated.
• UnitedHealth's actions since a ransomware attack in February show the challenges of crisis communications during a cyber incident.
• Yum Brands has a vision for “AI-powered” fast food in which AI shapes nearly every aspect of how its Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and KFC chains are run.
• Generative AI has gripped the ad industry. Too bad consumers hate the look.
• 🎧 Listen to Winnie Cisar, global head of strategy for CreditSights, discuss how an interest-rate cut from the Fed could affect companies’ access to credit.

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

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