Associations

Washington, D.C. -- Despite harsh winter weather throughout the country, retail industry employment in February increased by 24,000 jobs and has increased 218,000 on a year-over-year basis as retailers and merchants again added strength in numbers to the overall economy, according to the National Retail Federation.

Strong monthly gains were witnessed in apparel, building material and supplies, sporting goods and home and home furnishing sectors. Job gains as calculated by NRF do not include auto dealerships, restaurants or gas stations.

Twenty retail industry professionals dreaming of making it big in the retail industry have a unique opportunity thanks to the National Retail Federation.

NRF is collaborating again with University of Phoenix School of Business to award 20 full-tuition scholarships to retail industry professionals who want to enhance their careers through education.

Los Angeles - Factory workers of American Apparel established a coalition of workers to advocate for their rights before new corporate management. Hundreds of workers met on Feb. 28 to organize themselves into the "Coalition of American Apparel Factory Workers United to Save American Apparel."

Washington, D.C. -- Consumers are opening up their pocketbooks for St. Patrick’s Day, according to the National Retail Federation’s St. Patrick’s Day Spending Survey.

The survey, conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics, finds that nearly 127 million Americans are planning to celebrate the traditional Irish holiday and will spend an average of $36.52 on green garb, festive food and more, compared to $35.78 last year.

Kohl’s is sponsoring a Milwaukee-area school grant program for the third year in a row.   The Kohl’s Cares Field Trip Grant Program gives more than $1 million in funding to schools throughout the metro-Milwaukee area.  

Lawrenceville, N.J. - GS1 US has published a GS1 US National Data Quality Program framework, which outlines the key components to help companies establish and sustain effective data quality programs based on GS1 standards. The framework offers detailed information about the assessment criteria and scoring for the three pillars of data quality: data governance process, education and training protocol, and attribute audit.

Washington, D.C. – Retailers looking forward to consumers receiving their tax refund checks this year may be setting themselves up for disappointment. According to a new survey from the National Retail Federation (NRF) and Prosper Insights & Analytics, close to half (47%) of the 66% of Americans expecting a tax refund this year plan to save it.

San Francisco – A labor dispute that had reduced the 29 West Coast ports, which handle close to half the consumer cargo in the U.S. down to 50%-60% capacity appears to be over. Late in the evening of Friday, Feb. 20, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract covering workers at all 29 West Coast ports.