Associations

The National Retail Federation is pressing for a further reduction in per transaction fee banks charge retailers when customers use debit cards five years after the Federal Reserve cut the fee in half.

In a letter the National Retail Federation sent to the Federal Reserve the trade group said the cap on debit card swipe fees enacted by the Federal Reserve five years ago has helped reduce costs for retailers and consumers but is still higher than intended by Congress and should be lowered.

Delays in the required certification of payment terminals that accept credit and debit cards with embedded chips are frustrating many retailers, particularly midsized ones, and also costing them as, since Oct. 1, stores that cannot accept chip cards have had to shoulder the cost of fraud — and banks are not shy about passing along the bill, the New York Times reported.

The growth of digital shopping tools continues to benefit physical stores with new seasonal research from the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) showing how much.

GameStop Corp. is launching an omnichannel campaign to raise funds for a cause that is near and dear to the hearts of many of the retailer's customers.

Businesses throughout North America can expect above normal temperatures in most markets over the Easter weekend (March 25-27), according to Planalytics.

The strongest warmth compared to normal will be along the West Coast and from the Plains to the East Coast. The Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast regions can expect intermittent showers leading up to the Easter holiday.

The CVS Health Foundation on Wednesday announced the second round of grants awarded in partnership with the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids through the "Making the Next Generation Tobacco-Free" grant program. The new grants are part of #BeTheFirst, CVS Health's $50 million, five-year initiative to help deliver the nation's first tobacco-free generation, and extend the company's commitment to help people lead tobacco-free lives.

The National Grocers Association held its annual meeting recently in Las Vegas and Candice Lastimado of Seattle-based Metropolitan Markets came away the big winner.

A strong report on Friday from the Labor Department shows that retail employment was up 51,100 jobs in February on the heels of a gain of 52,100 in January.

Compared with February 2015, retail jobs were up by 247,300. The numbers exclude gasoline stations, automobiles and restaurants.

The Retail Design Institute will hold its 45th Annual Awards Gala & Fundraiser on March 12, 2016, at the Hilton Anatole, Dallas, the night before the kickoff of Chain Store Age’s SPECS Conference.

The winners of the competition, including the Store of the Year, will be unveiled at the event, which will also showcase the latest trends in materials, signage, fixturing and in-store technology.

They are not mythological monsters, but a real phenomenon retailers say is limiting their ability to take advantage of emerging technologies.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is officially calling on Congress to pass patent reform legislation that would put an end to “shakedown settlements” forced on retailers by “patent trolls.” Patent trolls are companies that purchase often-obscure patents for technology they did not invent, then demand licensing fees from retailers and other businesses that may not realize the technology is patented.