National Retail Federation

Powering through their turkey-induced sleepiness, millions of Americans lined the sidewalks, store entryways and parking lots late Thursday night and by midnight on Black Friday to score hot holiday deals on popular toys, electronics, apparel, DVDs, jewelry and more.

 ...read more

Washington – Weary shoppers returned to the stores in July as retailers as were aggressively promoting back-to-school sales. Retail industry sales for July (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) increased 3.1 percent unadjusted year-over-year and also declined ...read more

WASHINGTON – Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to be up 16 percent in July compared with the same month a year ago, but double-digit increases seen in recent months should taper offer this fall as retailers cautiously manage their ...read more

WASHINGTON --The National Retail Federation welcomes Senate approval of an amendment to financial services reform legislation that would direct the Federal Reserve to determine reasonable and proportional transaction fees for debit cards. Main Street America bailed out the ...read more

WASHINGTON --Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to be up 10 percent in May with double-digit increases expected into this fall as the U.S. economy improves, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the ...read more

Montpelier, Vt. -- The National Retail Federation today urged the Vermont legislature to give final approval to legislation that would address credit card swipe fees, saying merchants should be able to give a discount to customers who pay by cash, check or debit card. The card ...read more

Washington – Surging past expectations, retail sales continued to show signs of improvement as consumers hit the stores for seasonal home goods, furniture and apparel. According to the National Retail Federation, March retail industry sales (which exclude automobiles, gas ...read more

WASHINGTON -- Import cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports is expected to be up 8 percent in April compared with the same month a year ago, and solid increases are expected to continue through the summer as the U.S. economy improves, according to the monthly ...read more

Washington, February 12, 2010 – Post holiday sales and gift cards helped consumers open up their wallets to take advantage of special deals on popular apparel, electronics and sporting goods items. According to the National Retail Federation, January retail industry sales (which ...read more

WASHINGTON, February 8, 2010 – Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports will be a full 25 percent higher during the first half of 2010 compared with the same period a year ago, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the ...read more

Washington —Retailers who were expecting strong Cyber Monday sales over shoppers’ lunch hour may have been disappointed when those sales were softer-than-expected, but quickly forgot about the workday crowd when early morning and evening sales beat projections. This year, many ...read more

WASHINGTON -- The National Retail Federation today expressed disappointment in the Senate health care reform bill introduced by Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.  This bill will not deliver the lower-cost and better-quality health care and insurance coverage that retailers have ...read more

Washington, October 6, 2009 -- The National Retail Federation today released its 2009 holiday forecast, projecting holiday retail industry sales to decline one percent this year to $437.6 billion.* While this number falls significantly below the ten-year average of 3.39 percent ...read more

Washington, September 15, 2009 – In spite of the “Cash for Clunkers” program taking money away from traditional retail, companies still managed month-to-month gains in August, leaving the industry to wonder how strong the back-to-school season could have been without the timing ...read more

Washington – Several months of stronger-than-expected retail sales provided hope that the industry was poised to bounce back, but March retail sales demonstrate that the industry is continuing to struggle. According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales for ...read more

WASHINGTON – After ending 2008 down 7.9 percent, cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to drop at an even faster pace during the first half of 2009 as the economic recession continues, according to the monthly Port Tracker report released today by ...read more

Washington – The National Retail Federation today asked President-elect Barack Obama to incorporate a series of national sales tax holidays into upcoming economic stimulus legislation as an important step toward rebuilding consumer confidence, saying short-term gains from ...read more

Washington – While shoppers were out and about Black Friday weekend, they kept their pennies to themselves the rest of the month with November retail sales showing continued consumer restraint. According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales for November ...read more

Washington - As expected, consumers went into hibernation as the full scope of the financial crisis took hold in October. According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales for October (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) decreased 0.5 ...read more

WASHINGTON – Cargo volume at the nation's major retail container ports fell again in October, and 2008 is now expected to be the slowest year since 2004 as the downturn in the nation's economy continues, according to the monthly Port Tracker report released today by the ...read more

Washington — Though the holiday season will be challenging across the board, online retailers are expecting more than coal in their stockings. According to results of the 2008 eHoliday Study, conducted by Shopzilla® for Shop.org, more than half of online retailers (56.1%) ...read more

Washington – Retailers' summer started off with a bang but ended with a whimper. According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales for August (which exclude automobiles, gas stations, and restaurants) decreased 0.3 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month and ...read more

WASHINGTON -- The National Retail Federation today urged the House to pass legislation that would extend a four-year-old law that has made it easier for retailers to remodel some of their stores, saying the help is needed more than ever in the current economy and needs to be ...read more

WASHINGTON -- The National Retail Federation urged the House Judiciary Committee to support antitrust legislation scheduled for a hearing today that would require Visa and MasterCard to negotiate with merchants over credit card processing fees, saying a hidden fee charged by the ...read more

WASHINGTON -- Traffic at the nation's major retail container ports will see weak or even negative growth compared with last year for the next several months as the nation's economic slowdown continues, according to the monthly Port Tracker report released today by the National ...read more

Washington, November 12, 2007 – Retailers who are concerned that holiday sales aren't living up to expectations needn't worry: shoppers are off to a slow start. According to the National Retail Federation's 2007 Holiday Consumer Intentions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, most ...read more

Washington, November 13, 2007— As gift cards become increasingly convenient, more personalized and more sought after, retailers can expect to see an increase in gift card sales this holiday season. The fifth annual National Retail Federation (NRF) Gift Card Survey, conducted by ...read more

Washington, August 13, 2007 – Driven by back-to-school spending on electronics, apparel and other necessities, July retail sales rebounded from a slow start to the summer. According to the National Retail Federation, retail industry sales for July (which exclude automobiles, ...read more

Washington, DC, – Shoppers taking back a too-small sweater or a duplicate gift will not be the only ones standing in return lines on the day after Christmas. According to the National Retail Federation's inaugural Return Fraud Survey, completed by retail executives, criminals ...read more