Associations

The National Retail Federation is once again making the case for a new federal law on data breach notifications.   Citing the recent breach at the Equifax credit reporting agency, National Retail Federation and other industry associations are telling Congress that any new federal law on data breach notification should apply to all industries that handle consumer data.   

Aptos has tapped an industry veteran to assist retailers on their transformation journeys.   The retail technology solution provider has named Vicki Cantrell as its retail transformation officer. In this newly created position, she will oversee Aptos functions for business consulting and strategy, value engineering, and strategic account management. Cantrell will also leverage her retail background to advise and support Aptos customers as they reinvent their businesses for omnichannel growth, profitability and customer loyalty.

The National Retail Federation on Wednesday has lowered its annual retail sales forecast, citing government data revisions.   Retail sales for 2017 are now expected to increase between 3.2% and 3.8%, down from the 3.7% - 4.2% growth the NRF predicted earlier this year. The revision comes after the Census Bureau lowered its retail sales figures, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis downgraded its personal income and consumption figures.   

Simon Property Group raised eyebrows in the real estate and retail communities this week with the filing a suit that challenged Starbucks’ decision to close 78 Teavana stores in Simon malls. All retailer 379 of the tea shops are slated for closure through next year.  

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) and Shoptalk, organizer of the annual conference for retail/ecommerce innovation, announced a partnership focused on creating a global community and conversation for retail and e-commerce innovation.    The partnership will include Shoptalk Europe, which will be held on October 9-11, 2017 at the Bella Center in Copenhagen. It will also include Shoptalk 2018, which will take place on March 18-21, 2018 at the Venetian in Las Vegas.  

7-Eleven is being honored for its commitment to reducing energy.   The Alliance to Save Energy has awarded 7-Eleven with the Alliance to Save Energy "Built Environment" award for its commitment to reducing energy consumption and improving efficiency in its stores.    7-Eleven has successfully decreased electricity use in store operations by an estimated 21% over the past seven years through installing LED lighting, energy management systems and high-efficiency HVAC units.  

The Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC) has announced featured speakers for its Retail Cyber Intelligence Summit, held October 3 - 4, 2017, in Chicago.    Among the keynote speakers are Rich Agostino, chief information security officer at Target Corp, who will lead a session titled, "Stepping into Leadership: Staying Ahead of Today's Threats and the Evolving CISO Role," and Kostas Georgakopoulos, CISO at Procter & Gamble, leading a session on the next evolution of information security.  

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is looking for a few good tech innovators.    The group has put out a call for applications for its first annual (R)Tech Retail CEO Innovation Awards. The awards will highlight innovations that enable retail's future. Winners will be invited to showcase, pitch and network with the retail chief executives at RILA's annual Retail CEO Forum Jan. 21-23 in Tucson, Arizona.