Press

NRF urged labor and management at the Ports of LA and Long Beach to work through their differences without any disruption after rejection of a tentative contract by union members.

NRF is concerned that President Obama's proposal on deficit reduction could make comprehensive tax reform "very difficult."

The National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, today issued a statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on the tentative contract agreement between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), which covers dockworkers along 14 East and Gulf Coast container ports:

NRF sent a letter to President Obama and Congress in response to January’s jobs numbers.

Love is in the air this Valentine’s Day but consumers aren’t quite ready to shell out the big bucks for their loved ones as much as they were last year. The 2013 Valentine’s Day spending survey conducted by BIGinsight shows only a slight increase in expected sales this year with the average person planning to spend $130.97 on candy, cards, gifts and more, up from $126.03 last year. Total spending will reach $18.6 billion.*

Despite some groups’ claims, NRF says few, if any, merchants are expected to surcharge customers for using a credit card as theoretically allowed under a controversial proposed lawsuit settlement with Visa and MasterCard being debated in the courts.

The National Council of Chain Restaurants today issued the following statement from Executive Director Rob Green on the President’s plan to reform the nation’s immigration laws:

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on recent proposals to reform the immigration system:

The National Retail Federation released its 2013 economic forecast today, projecting retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) will increase 3.4 percent*, slightly less than the preliminary 4.2 percent growth seen in 2012. The subdued forecast comes on the heels of a holiday season that went head-to-head with Washington’s political wrangling over fiscal concerns, shifting consumers’ spending plans downward. In the end, holiday sales in 2012 grew 3.0 percent.

The National Council of Chain Restaurants today issued the following statement from Executive Director Rob Green on the U.S. Court of Appeals’ decision in Noel Canning v. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB):

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French on the United States Court of Appeals’ unanimous decision in Noel Canning v. National Labor Relations Board:

Three-thousand miles apart, two teams are preparing for the biggest game of the year, along with the millions of fans who will be cheering them on. According to a new survey by the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association, a division of the National Retail Federation, conducted by BIGinsight, more than 179.1 million people will watch the game Sunday, February 3, the most in the survey’s nine-year history and up from an estimated 172.5 million last year.

NRF urged the House to approve legislation that would put the federal debt ceiling on hold until mid-May.

Shop.org is launching today a multi-part initiative to engage the industry in examining how retailers are integrating all things “digital” into their business structures.

Solid consumer spending in the month of December helped retailers finish the year with a healthy holiday shopping season, however economic uncertainties sent a cautious consumer to the stores. According to the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, December retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.8 percent seasonally adjusted from November and increased 2.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

NRF released the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay regarding Walmart’s announcement regarding the hiring of veterans: "It is nothing less than visionary for a great American company to make such a bold pledge to help our American heroes.”

The National Retail Federation today announced that Saks Incorporated Chairman and CEO Stephen I. Sadove has been elected chairman of the NRF Board of Directors and chairman of its Executive Committee. He succeeds NRF’s immediate past chairman, Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO of Macy’s, Inc. Sadove was elected at the Board of Directors meeting held Sunday during NRF’s 102nd Annual Convention and EXPO – Retail’s BIG Show.

The Association for Retail Technology Standards (ARTS), the National Retail Federation’s technology standards division, today announced the release of three diverse standards for the retail technology community, all of which will be available for review in the ARTS Pavilion, booth 2253, at Retail’s BIG Show.

The NRF Board of Directors has adopted a resolution directing NRF to “strongly encourage” Congress to enact comprehensive tax reform in 2013 and setting out a list of principles aimed at achieving tax policy that would boost the economy and encourage job growth.

The NRF Foundation, the non-profit arm of the National Retail Federation, announced today that Mindy Grossman, CEO, HSNi, was elected as the new chair of its Board of Directors for a two-year term.