The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors is launching a Legal Policy Center to serve as a voice of the wholesale distribution industry and pursue precent-setting litigation to defend free enterprise. NAW announced Karen Harned, former executive director of the National Federation of Independent Business' Small Business Legal Center, will lead the LPC as director of litigation and legal policy. "The Legal Policy Center enables NAW to expand on our policy leadership and aggressively defend the American supply chain against activist regulators," said NAW President and CEO Eric Hoplin.

Defying expectations of a conservative year for distributor merger and acquisition activity due to economic uncertainties and a looming presidential election, the year's first half has seen 169 deals through June, outpacing the previous year. The activity highlights a robust M&A landscape driven by significant deals, including from MSC Industrial Supply, Winsupply and Home Depot.

Warehouse staffing is improving, according to 40% of operators surveyed for an Instawork report, although shortages are still forcing some of them to forgo revenue. Average hourly pay for warehouse workers has risen 8% since mid-2020, and the amount may increase by 5% this year, according to the report.

Global sea transport is projected to surge 5.1% to 3.2 trillion ton-miles in 2024, the second-largest annual increase since 2010, due to heightened geopolitical tensions forcing ships to reroute around the Horn of Africa, per a report from Clarkson Research. Although an overall increase in trade volumes is also contributing to the rise in ton-miles, the longer routes, prompted by Houthi rebel attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, are expected to hinder efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

The rapid expansion of Temu and Shein is reshaping the airfreight market out of China, leading to a 12.7% increase in global airfreight demand in the first four months of the year and driving rates up 40%, causing capacity concerns for peak holiday season. Additional disruptions in ocean shipping and port congestion are further straining the air cargo market, with companies like DHL urging early contract signings to secure space.

Three-quarters of business-to-business companies using B2B influencers make social content including videos their top priority, followed by podcasts and live events, and respondents said the most effective type of collaborations are those co-created with B2B influencers, according to a report from Onalytica. "The most effective strategy has been to empower [B2B influencers] to speak in their own voices, ensuring our message resonates deeply with their audience," says Ursula Ringham, head of global influencer marketing at SAP.

Thirty-eight percent of business-to-business marketers are scaling one or two generative AI projects, while 11% are scaling more than two, according to this infographic from Bain & Company. The top three uses of generative AI by B2B companies is to automate marketing and documentation and encourage repeat customers.

Economists and Federal Reserve officials are growing increasingly concerned about the US labor market. Unemployment is rising, indicating a potential end to the tight labor conditions seen during the pandemic recovery. And while hiring remains strong, there are fears that further softening could impact economic growth. "Any change in the outlook for the labor market could have significant implications for the direction of the economy and monetary policy," said Rubeela Farooqi, chief US economist at High Frequency Economics. "If there is one thing we know for sure, it is that conditions change very quickly."

The largest public companies paid a record $458 billion in interest payments over the past year, up $89 billion, or 24.4%, from a year earlier, according to Janus Henderson's most recent Global Corporate Debt Index. Total global corporate profitability among non-financial firms dropped by 7.7% amid an economic slowdown and higher financing costs, but Janus Henderson says balance sheets remain strong and the ratio of corporate earnings to interest costs is comfortable.

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