National Retail Federation (NRF)

WASHINGTON — It looks like this year's holiday shoppers have a renewed focus on value and will comparison shop by utilizing smartphones, tablets and mobile applications to make purchasing decisions, according to the latest National Retail Federation Survey.

Washington -- The National Retail Federation announced that it is pleased with President Obama's efforts to implement three pending Free Trade Agreements. 

WASHINGTON — The retail industry won a big victory in Washington, D.C., as the Senate defeated an amendment that proposed to delay swipe-fee reform for another 12 months.

WASHINGTON – Retail sales increased 0.4% last month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, buoyed by rising gasoline revenue. The gain in March, the ninth consecutive monthly increase, was the smallest since the string began last summer.

The increase shrank to a 0.1% when sales at gasoline stations were excluded. However, the biggest decline in auto sales in more than a year also pulled down overall sales. When taking out sales at gas station and of autos, retail sales rose 0.6%.

NEW YORK - A seminar on collaborative merchandising initiatives at the upcoming National Retail Federation convention should draw considerable interest due to the involvement of Target and ConAgra Foods. The seminar is sponsored by DemandTec, a company whose suite of merchandising solutions have been used by both companies since 2007. The session will be facilitated by DemandTec’s SVP consumer products Rob Culin.

New York - The holiday shopping season got off to a positive if unspectacular start, according to preliminary results from the Black Friday weekend.  The number of people who shopped at stores and online between Thursday and Sunday was up 8.7% to 212 million shoppers, according to a National Retail Federation survey of 4,306 shoppers conducted by BIGresearch. The total amount spent during the four-day weekend reached an estimated $45 billion, with the average spending rising 6.4% to $365.34, the survey showed.

New York City -- Holiday retail sales will grow by a strong 4.5% [+/- 0.5%] year-over-year to a record $519 billion, according to retail consulting and research firm Customer Growth Partners, New Canaan, Conn.