Press

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on the negotiated settlement between The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit and the Harbor Employers Association at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach:

The National Retail Federation and a diverse coalition of manufacturers, farmers, wholesalers, retailers and transportation organizations today sent a letter to President Obama to express their mutual concern about the ongoing labor disruption at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Striking clerical workers have been picketing many of the port terminals for the past week, effectively shutting down major portions of the ports.

Christmas came early for 24 college students when they learned they were recipients of a $5,000 scholarship through the NRF Foundation’s Ray M. Greenly Scholarship fund. Each student, nominated by educators at their schools based on their high scholastic achievements and passion for retail, will receive a $5,000 scholarship to cover educational costs and a stipend to attend Retail’s BIG Show in January.

NRF has issued a statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay renewing NRF's call for President Obama to intervene in the strike that has closed most terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

NRF urged the Senate to approve an amendment that would attach a sales tax fairness bill to a defense spending measure being considered today.

The National Retail Federation today urged President Obama to immediately engage in the stalled contract negotiations between management and striking union workers at the nation's largest ports. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 63 Office Clerical Unit has established pickets outside a majority of the terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The National Council of Chain Restaurants has released a new, comprehensive report on the impact of federal ethanol policies, specifically the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Renewable Fuel Standard, on the chain restaurant industry, commodity prices and the food supply chain.

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on new The White House report on “The Middle-Class Tax Cut’s Impact on Consumer Spending & Retailers”:

The New England Patriots and the Washington Redskins weren’t the only winners this Thanksgiving Day as more than 35 million Americans visited retailers’ stores and websites Thursday – up from 29 million last year – scoring deals on everything from hot electronic items to cashmere sweaters and toys. According to a National Retail Federation survey conducted by BIGinsight over the weekend, traffic and spending grew over the entire weekend*.

Despite record levels of online spending over the Black Friday weekend, savvy shoppers still have plenty of appetite for one-day only deals that retailers have lined up for Cyber Monday, as 129.2 million shoppers say they’ll head to retailers’ websites on Cyber Monday.

Even the post-turkey coma couldn’t keep a good shopper down last night as millions of people across the country lined the sidewalks late Thursday night and by midnight on Black Friday to stock up on discounted toys, laptops, tablets, apparel, and more.

Children’s wish lists this holiday season are full of the latest gadgets such as Apple iPads and the Nintendo Wii U, but there’s still demand for some classic gifts like LEGOs, dolls and toy cars according to NRF’s 2012 Top Toys survey conducted by BIGinsight.

The National Retail Federation released the following statement from NRF Vice President and Employee Benefits Policy Counsel Neil Trautwein:

The National Council of Chain Restaurants today issued the following statement from Executive Director Rob Green on Environmental Protection Agency’s decision not to grant a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard mandate:

According to a preliminary Black Friday shopping survey, up to 147 million people plan to shop Black Friday weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday), a slight decrease from the 152 million who planned to do so last year.

For the first time in three months, retail sales ticked down slightly as consumers cooled discretionary spending in the face of inclement weather and uncertainty in Washington. According to the National Retail Federation, October retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) decreased 0.3 percent seasonally adjusted from September yet increased 3.9 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

With retailers providing increasingly creative ways for gift cards to be personalized and delivered, NRF’s 2012 holiday consumer spending survey conducted by BIGinsight shows that 81.1 percent of shoppers will purchase at least one gift card and will spend an average of $156.86 on gift cards, the highest amount in the survey’s 10-year history.