Rising imports reflect optimism for 4th qtr.(Import Tracker: what's coming into the U.S. and from where?)

Healthy increases in the import levels of virtually every product category suggests that suppliers and retailers are stocking up in anticipation of a strong fourth quarter. Second quarter imports of guitars paced the industry, rising a robust 48% over the same period a year ago. Although m.i.

retailers continue to express concern over competition from mass merchants, it is worth noting that imports of acoustics with a retail of $299 and over grew faster than the imports of lower-priced instruments destined for the shelves of Wal-Mart. Imports of pro-audio products were close behind ...

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