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Supply Chain by the Numbers

July 23, 2026

Supply Chain by the Numbers for July 23, 2026

US Food Sales Falling. Developers Building Warehouses again. Global Manufacturing Forecast Downgraded. US Manufacturing in June.


h
2%
That is the drop in recent unit sales of US food products, according to new analysis by Bain & Company and NielsenIQ. The report finds that the US grocery slowdown has entered a “decisive new phase of falling unit sales” as stretched American consumers pull back and buy fewer items. The slowdown in U.S. grocery began in mid-2025 with the emergence of a clear trend of negative unit growth. But Bain and NIQ report that it has accelerated since February, with units sold now having stepped down sharply, dropping by around 2% year-on-year in most of the subsequent four months up to June, and consistently across US regions. That shift comes amid continuing increases in grocery bills, with grocery prices still climbing at a rate of 2% to 3% year-on-year.

18.2%

That was the level of growth in the amount of warehouse space that was under construction across the US in the second quarter, the second consecutive quarter of annual growth, according to real-estate firm Cushman & Wakefield. All told, 305 million square feet of warehouse space is currently being built. The growing development pipeline is a significant shift from the slow construction activity of the past several years. Weak leasing activity and an overabundance of space combined to push the nationwide vacancy rate up to an 11-year high last year and led many developers to pare back construction plans. Prologis, the world’s largest owner and operator of industrial real estate, said it plans to start work on $4.5 billion to $5.5 billion of developments this year, up from $3.1 billion last year, Including data centers.



97.9
That was the level of US manufacturing output in June, as represented in the monthly index from the Federal Reserve Bank, which was released this week. That was basically flat from May (with a score of 98.0), as the index has been in range that has seen it hover around the 96 -98 level for more than six months, with no real growth, but not recessionary declines either.However, June output was up just 1.1% versus the same period in 2025. But at an index level of 97.9, it means US manufacturing output is now below that of the baseline year of 2017 (index = 100) now nine years later. It is also well below the all-time high of about 108, reached in late 2007.

2.9%
That is the revised growth rate projection for global manufacturing through 2030. That from an updated forecast from the analysts at Interact Analysis. That was down from a forecast of 3.1% from 2025 to 2030 issued in February. According to the market intelligence specialist, the global oil shock triggered by the US-Israel war with Iran, as well as continued action on tariffs from the United States, has resulted in higher input costs for businesses and an apprehensive approach to investment. Interact Analysis predicts Asia will remain the region with the highest growth rate in 2026 at 2.9% (down from 3.2%), while the Americas will continue to experience the weakest growth at 1.9% (down from 2.2%).

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