NRF Foundation News

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.

The Dream BIG scholarship will award 10 current retail employees with full tuition at any University of Phoenix program, providing them the opportunity to pair education with work experience and ambitions to pursue a wide-array of career opportunities within the retail industry.

The NRF Foundation and American Express today announced the winners of their annual Aspire2Retail Intercollegiate Challenge, which is designed to increase understanding of diverse career paths in retail by engaging university students in a competitive, collaborative role play that involves implementing a multi-tiered business strategy.

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.

More than two dozen colleges and universities have joined the NRF Foundation as partners through a program that provides educators and students exclusive access to retail industry research, educational events and other industry networking opportunities.

More than two dozen colleges and universities have joined the NRF Foundation as partners through a program that provides educators and students exclusive access to retail industry research, educational events and other industry networking opportunities.

Consumers have spoken: Amazon.com has the best customer service among U.S. retailers, according to a survey of thousands of shoppers. In a survey of 9,374 shoppers, Amazon.com took top honors in the seventh annual NRF Foundation/American Express Customers’ Choice survey, conducted by BIGinsight®.

Retailers in 2011 will be intent on actively growing their businesses and improving customer insight capabilities, in addition to continuing efforts begun during the economic downturn to stabilize operating costs and focus on financial discipline, according to a report from the National Retail Federation’s research and education arm, the NRF Foundation, and KPMG LLP, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm.

The NRF Foundation, the research and education arm of the National Retail Federation, has announced the top 10 retailers for customer service selected by shoppers in the sixth annual NRF Foundation/American Express® Customers’ Choice survey. Final rankings will be released during NRF's 100th Annual Convention in January, 2011.

Having survived the worst of the economic downturn, many retailers are collectively breathing a slight sigh of relief while cautiously looking ahead to 2010, according to the eighth annual Retail Horizons: Benchmarks for 2009, Forecasts for 2010. The report, released by the NRF Foundation and KPMG LLP, examines benchmarks for the retail industry, reports retailers’ key business priorities and plans, and tracks established and emerging retail trends.

• Nordstrom, HSN, Kohl's, Lands End and L.L. Bean among NRF Foundation's top 10 Customers' Choice finalists
• Company rankings and complete list of winners will be announced during NRF's Annual Convention