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NRFSA launch

National Retail Federation Launches Association for Students

For Immediate Release
Kathy Grannis (202)783-7971 or grannisk@nrf.com
www.nrfsa.org

National Retail Federation Launches Association for Students
-NRFSA Offers College Crowd Chance to Meet Retail Executives, Learn About Industry-

Washington, October 7, 2011 – 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 vision of the NRFSA is to foster and recruit talented students into the retailing industry, enhance their educational experience at participating colleges or universities and help them build an early network of peers who will become leaders within the industry.

“NRF’s Student Association will connect young adults with top retailers seeking talent to fuel their companies’ success,” said NRF President and CEO and NRF Foundation President Matthew Shay. “This group offers students a competitive advantage over their peers through access to networking events with retail hiring managers, opportunities to take part in research opportunities, industry competitions and leadership programs, helping students to build their resume and prepare them for rewarding retail careers.”

The NRFSA provides student members access to NRF’s unique educational programs and the opportunity to network with retailers from all formats and channels. Membership also enables NRFSA members to attend NRF events at a discounted rate.

“Retail executives realize that in order to be competitive we need the brightest young talent, and we’re making a conscious effort to entice the very best students into this innovative industry,” said Kip Tindell, Chairman of the NRF Foundation and CEO and Chairman of The Container Store. “Participation in NRFSA will offer students opportunities and face time with executives and recruiters that have been impossible until now, helping them launch careers with a huge assortment of the nation’s top retail brands.”

The NRFSA will provide a platform for retail members to post internships, mentor students and collaborate with top colleges and universities on research projects. For universities and colleges, joining the NRFSA will bring recognition of their program throughout the retail industry as a source for tomorrow’s leaders. NRFSA is a division of the NRF Foundation; the student members will not be members of the National Retail Federation, but will have access to many opportunities and benefits afforded NRF members.

At the launch of the association, fifteen colleges have committed to offering members of their campus retail associations the opportunity to join NRFSA:

•    FIDM/The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising
•    The Fashion Institute of Technology
•    Florida State University Center for Retail Merchandising and Product Development
•    Georgia Southern University Center for Retail Studies
•    Fashion School at Kent State University
•    LIM College
•    Longwood University
•    Ohio University
•    Retail Management Institute at Santa Clara University
•    The University of Florida David F. Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research
•    University of Arizona Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing
•    University of Arkansas Center for Retailing Excellence
•    University of North Texas School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management
•    University of Tennessee
•    University of Wisconsin-Madison The Kohl's Center for Retailing Excellence

Membership is currently available to students enrolled in U.S. universities with programs in retailing and related disciplines that are participating in the NRF Foundation employer-education network.

For more information about the NRFSA, please visit the NRF Foundation’s website.

The NRF Foundation is the research and education arm of the National Retail Federation. A non-profit foundation created in 1981, the Foundation conducts industry research, develops education and workforce development programs, professional certification programs and promotes retailing as a career destination. The NRF Foundation benefits retailers, their associates and business partners and allies, and consumers in many ways. Research provides the basis for education about the industry and its importance to the economy, and provides industry and government leaders with an analysis of public policy decisions on consumers, retailers, and the economy. The Foundation’s education and career development efforts, including NRF University wired, encourage professional development and excellence in performance of retailing for associates and executives at all levels.

As the world’s largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, NRF’s global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the United States and more than 45 countries abroad. In the U.S., NRF represents an industry that includes more than 3.6 million establishments and which directly and indirectly accounts for 42 million jobs – one in four U.S. jobs. The total U.S. GDP impact of retail is $2.5 trillion annually, and retail is a daily barometer of the health of the nation’s economy. www.nrf.com.

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