Human Resources

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.

The National Retail Federation announced today during its 101st Annual Convention and EXPO in New York the addition of five retail executives elected to serve on its Board of Directors. Each new Board member will serve a three-year term. Macy’s, Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Terry Lundgren was re-elected to serve another full-year as Chairman of the NRF Board.

he National Retail Federation announced today that Whole Foods Market is the recipient of its prestigious annual Innovator of the Year award. Walter Robb, Co-CEO, will accept the award on behalf of Co-CEO and Founder John Mackey during the Annual Retail Industry Luncheon at NRF’s 101st Annual Convention and EXPO on January 17.

The National Retail Federation announced today that Vicki Cantrell – a retail industry veteran who has held prominent positions at Tory Burch, Giorgio Armani, and Gucci – will join NRF as the association’s Senior Vice President, Communities and Executive Director, Shop.org on October 31.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, holiday shoppers say they plan to shell out an average of $704.18 on holiday gifts and seasonal merchandise, down slightly from last year’s $718.98.* NRF is still forecasting overall holiday retail sales to grow 2.8 percent during the months of November and December to $465.6 billion.

The National Retail Federation today commended NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French for being named a top association lobbyist by the venerable Capitol Hill newspaper The Hill.

The National Retail Federation announced today that President Bill Clinton, Founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation and 42nd President of the United States, will keynote its 101st Annual Convention, January 15-18, 2012 at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City.

While the September jobs numbers were better than expected, there is no doubt the economy is still facing significant headwinds. With the start of the holiday season just three weeks away, the persistently high unemployment rate is expected to hinder consumer demand and impact confidence.

NRF Foundation, the education arm of the National Retail Federation, today announced the launch of the National Retail Federation Student Association (NRFSA), which will offer member students the opportunity to leverage NRF’s vast retail network to take advantage of education and networking opportunities.

The 2011 holiday season can be summed up in one word: average. On the heels of a holiday season that outperformed most analysts’ expectations, holiday retail sales* for 2011 are expected to increase 2.8 percent to $465.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation.

According to NRF’s 2011 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey conducted by BIGresearch, seven in 10 Americans (68.6%) plan to celebrate Halloween, up from 63.8 percent last year and the most in NRF’s 10-year survey history.

With the 2012 election season around the corner, the National Retail Federation today launched a first-of-its-kind major year-long advocacy campaign to advance a Jobs, Innovation, and Consumer Value Agenda on behalf of America’s retail industry and the $2.48 trillion in GDP and 41.6 million American jobs it supports.

Shop.org today announced the addition of six members to its Board of Directors and welcomed back three incumbents. The new and returning Board members will meet for the first time as a group later this month at Shop.org’s Annual Summit in Boston. Each newly-elected member will serve a two-year term. Shop.org is the digital division of the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade group.

NRF expressed strong disappointment with three rulings handed down by the National Labor Relations Board this week, saying the actions threaten the ability of businesses to create jobs.

Following the announcement that the U.S. added a better-than-expected 117,000 jobs in July, National Retail Federation President and CEO Matthew Shay issued a statement urging Congress and the Administration to advance a strong jobs agenda.

The National Retail Federation today announced the additions of a veteran Washington lobbyist and the former manager of a major corporate political action committee to its growing government relations team.

The National Retail Federation announced today that veteran Senate staffer Beth Provenzano has been hired to serve as Senior Director for Federal Government Relations. Provenzano will serve as NRF’s primary Senate lobbyist, a new position directing engagement with senators and staff.