Supply Chain

Growing in severity, number and type, retailers are reporting organized retail crime (ORC) has become more troublesome than ever before. Of the 125 retail companies surveyed for NRF’s eighth annual Organized Retail Crime Survey, a record-setting (96.0%) say their company has been the victim of organized retail crime in the past year,

According to the 2012 Social and Mobile Commerce Study, a joint research project by Shop.org, comScore and The Partnering Group, the visually-appealing social media site Pinterest has become a big player in an even bigger arena, with online U.S. consumers reporting that they already follow an average of 9.3 retail companies on the site, compared to the average 6.9 retailers they follow on Facebook and the 8.5 retailers they track via Twitter.

Shop.org will welcome two of the industry’s most influential and prominent executives to its Annual Summit this September in Denver. Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO, Toys“R”Us, Inc., and Jamie Nordstrom, president of Nordstrom Direct will both keynote at the event,

Hawaii has a shining star in Ms. Tanna Dang as the Honolulu boutique owner today was awarded the top $25,000 prize in the National Retail Federation’s inaugural “This is Retail” video contest.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports will be flat in May compared with the same month last year, but is expected to see solid year-over-year increases through this summer and the back-to-school season, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.

The National Retail Federation today applauded a bipartisan letter from fifteen members of the Senate that urged President Obama to support more flexible trade rules on textile and apparel goods in the current negotiations on a Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.

The National Retail Federation today announced the final three winners of its “This is Retail” video contest, determined after a week of public voting through NRF’s Retail Means Jobs website.

Riding the coattails of a spring where they spent freely on everything from garden supplies and home décor to colorful fashions, consumers will stretch their dollars a little further this Mother’s Day to make sure mom has the perfect day. According to NRF’s 2012 Mother’s Day consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight, the average person celebrating the holiday is expected to spend $152.52 on gifts, up from $140.73 last year.

The National Retail Federation announced today that Bill Thorne has been named the association’s Senior Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.2 percent in April compared with the same month last year, and year-over-year gains should continue through the end of summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.

The National Retail Federation today announced the top 10 finalists of its “This is Retail” video contest, determined after a week of public voting through NRF’s Retail Means Jobs website.

The National Retail Federation announced today the 20 finalists of its “This is Retail” video contest, determined from scoring by prominent retail executives at NRF member companies. Contest finalists range from small business owners to vice presidents at national retail chains, and from wine shops to sporting goods retailers.

It seems even high prices at the pump can’t keep the Easter Bunny away this year. According to NRF’s Easter spending survey, conducted by BIGinsight, Americans will shell out an average of $145.28 on everything from apparel and candy to food and decorations this year, up 11 percent from $131.04 last year.

NRF joined more than a dozen other trade associations at a “Rally for Roads” on the National Mall, calling on the House to move quickly on its version of legislation to reauthorize federal transportation spending.

NRF welcomed Senate passage of legislation to reauthorize federal transportation spending, and urged the House to move quickly before the current funding law expires at the end of the month.

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 10 percent in March compared with the same month last year, and year-over-year gains should continue through mid-summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.

The National Retail Federation, along with its technology standards division, the Association for Retail Technology Standards and digital division, Shop.org, will host a special pavilion at the upcoming Retail Business Technology Expo and Cards and Payments Solutions.

With the law authorizing federal transportation spending set to expire at the end of the month, NRF urged the Senate to move quickly on reauthorization legislation being debated this week.

According to NRF’s Tax Returns Consumer Survey conducted by BIGinsight, 43.8 percent of those expecting refunds will stash some of their cash in savings, up from 42.l percent who said so last year and the most in the survey’s nine-year history.