Media Center

The National Retail Federation today announced that its Small Business Spotlight program, a collaboration between Qurate Retail Group and the NRF Foundation to elevate small businesses, is receiving a 2021 Gold Power of A Award from the Center for Association Leadership (ASAE).

Double-digit growth in imports at the nation’s largest retail container ports is slipping to single digits as pandemic-related supply chain disruptions around the world continue, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report from NRF and Hackett Associates.

Strong consumer spending over the past year has been boosted by government stimulus programs but will rely more on the labor market and job creation as the benefits of those efforts subside, NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz says.

The National Retail Federation today issued a statement from Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French following an announcement from the White House that President Biden has appointed John D. Porcari as Port Envoy to address supply chain disruptions.

Organized retail crime and numerous other security concerns evolved in 2020, and most retailers attribute the increase in criminal activity to the pandemic, according to the 2021 Retail Security Survey released today by the National Retail Federation.

Retail sales slowed during July as retailers continued to face supply chain disruptions and increased COVID-19 vaccinations allowed consumers to shift some spending from goods to activities like going out to dinner and traveling despite the delta variant.

NRF called on the Federal Reserve to adopt proposed regulations clarifying that retailers can decide where to route billions of dollars in online debit card transactions for processing each year, but urged the Fed to adopt additional provisions to keep Visa and Mastercard from circumventing the new rules.

Trade groups submitted an amicus brief in support of businesses and their workers that have been negatively impacted by a series of escalating tariffs covering virtually all Chinese imports to the United States imposed by the United States Trade Representative (USTR).

Imports at the nation’s largest retail container ports should hit yet another record in August as consumer demand continues to stretch supply chains and retailers shift from the back-to-school season to the peak shipping season for winter holiday merchandise, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report from NRF and Hackett Associates.

The economy is growing quickly but its future still depends on slowing the coronavirus pandemic as consumers worry about new variants of the virus, according to NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz.