Associations

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is now accepting applications for its Retail Asset Protection Innovation awards ahead of its annual conference this spring.

The good works of the NRF Foundation will continue another year under the leadership of HSNi CEO Mindy Grossman and be complemented by the insights of four newly elected board members.

Ahead of the National Retail Federation’s annual convention in New York, the trade group’s non-profit arm said HSNi CEO Mindy Grossman would serve for another year as board chair and named four other retail industry executives to two-year board terms.

National Retail Federation president and CEO Matt Shay shared a message of inspiration and transformation to mark the beginning of the trade group’s annual Big Show, which again drew a record number of attendees to New York.

QVC chief information officer Linda Dillman has joined the board of the GS1 US supply chain information standard organization.

GS1 US is a supply chain information standards organization.

Dillman will help guide the GS1 US strategy for driving the adoption and usage of the GS1 System of Standards in e-commerce. The standards uniquely identify products, services and locations globally. They are designed to assist in enhancing the consumer shopping experience while boosting online retailer efficiency, revenue and loyalty.

The leading retail associations — including the Retail Industry Leaders Association, the Food Marketing Institute, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Retail Federation — gave a mixed reaction to new waste management proposals by the Environmental Protection Agency.

While the associations called the proposed regulations a “step forward,” they also expressed concern about how the rules would impact the disposal of unsold consumer products and pharmaceuticals by stores.

With the retail industry continuing to face abundant legislative challenges, the Retail Industry Leaders Association has made two key hires to bolster lobbying efforts during what promises to be a year of highly contentious presidential politics.

Philadelphia -- PREIT announced that Ron Rubin will step down as the company's executive chairman, a role he's held since 2012, effective June 7, 2016. Rubin will continue in his role as chairman of the board.

With 2016 upon us, many employers find themselves nervously awaiting what election-year politics might bring to their doorsteps. Retailers and restaurant operators, more than ever, have been thrust front and center into the political landscape, with labor issues at the top of candidate’s agendas as well as the subject of numerous ballot issues at the state and local level. As a result, the business models and labor practices of entry-level employers are being evaluated by the public in much the same way the candidates are.

New Hyde Park, N.Y. -- Kimco Realty Corp. announced that Conor C. Flynn, president and CEO, has been appointed to the company’s board of directors effective January 1, 2016, simultaneous with his elevation to the CEO role. Flynn succeeds David B. Henry who retired as vice chairman of the board of directors and CEO on January 1, 2016.

Lists are a good way to start a debate, depending on who is included or left off, and that is sure to be the case with a newly released compilation of the 25 individuals the National Retail Federation Foundation has included on the 2016’s List of People Shaping Retail’s Future.