UPS Expects Slight Rise In 2009 Holiday Deliveries

Written by Admin | 20 November 2009

Wall Street Journal Report:
United Parcel Service Inc. said it expects to ship about 400 million packages world-wide between Thanksgiving and Christmas, a figure the package-delivery giant said was "up slightly" from 2008. UPS forecast 22 million shipments on what it expects to be its peak day, Dec. 21.

The figure is flat with its 2007 peak day, but the company has declined to provide specific data for the 2008 holiday-shipping season, calling the period "an anomaly" because of the economic downturn.

Rival FedExCorp. said last week that it expects to ship more than 13 million packages on Dec. 14, its anticipated busiest day. The figure is up about 8% from 12 million on FedEx's busiest day of 2008.

Both companies are considered economic bellwethers, and their forecasts are closely scrutinized for clues to the strength of the important holiday-shopping season.

[article by Bob Sechler, Wall Street Journal]