Content about National Retail Federation

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation is responding to a report from the Federal Reserve that revealed that debit card swipe fees collected by the nation's largest banks have dropped significantly since reform regulations took effect last fall.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation has named Ellen Davis SVP and executive director of the NRF Foundation, the education and research arm of NRF.

WASHINGTON — Retail sales continue to rise for 2012 as the U.S. Census Bureau reported results of February sales on Tuesday.

U.S. retail and food services sales for February, adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes, were $407.8 billion, an increase of 1.1% from the previous month and 6.5% above the year-ago period. Retail trade sales were up 1.1% from last month and 6.3% above last year.

WASHINGTON, — Consumers are set to pull out all the stops this Valentine’s Day, with the average person shelling out $126.03, up 8.5% over last year, according to the National Retail Federation’s "2012 Valentine’s Day Consumer Intentions and Actions" survey, conducted by BIGinsight. Total spending is expected to reach $17.6 billion.

WASHINGTON — After President Barack Obama delivered his State of the Union address on Tuesday night, the National Retail Federation issued a response regarding his remarks on job creation.

NRF said it welcomed the President's emphasis on job creation, saying that it will help restore the nation's economic state.

NEW YORK — Retail industry sales are expected to rise, albeit not at the same pace as 2011, according to the National Retail Federation.

Retail industry sales will rise 3.4% to $2.53 trillion, NRF said, compared with a pace of 4.7% in the year-ago period. The expected slowdown in consumer spending, NRF said, will be influenced by a number of factors, including stalled unemployment rate and lack of newly-created jobs. But despite the lower projection, the industry is expected to garner stronger numbers than other industries, NRF said.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation is putting its faith in the holidays by upgrading its spending forecast for the season.

After initially anticipating sales growth of 2.8%, the NRF said it now expects holiday sales to rise 3.8% to $469.1 billion. The projection may be lower than the 5.2% increase the retail industry saw last year, but the group said a number of factors, such as strong year-over-year sales and the fact that not all consumers have completed their holiday shopping lists, could provide the industry with a great gift after all.

WASHINGTON — The combination of earlier-than-ever opening hours, favorable weather and deal-conscious consumers receptive to heightened promotional activity produced record sales over Thanksgiving weekend.

The National Retail Federation said an estimated 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites over Thanksgiving weekend, compared with 212 million last year, and spent an average of $398 per person, compared with $365 last year. Those findings are based on an NRF survey of 3,826 shoppers conducted over the weekend by BIGresearch.

WASHINGTON — Holiday shoppers are expected to spend $155.43 on average for gift cards this season, while total gift card spending is projected to reach $27.8 billion, according to a survey released Friday by the National Retail Federation.

NRF’s 2011 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions survey, conducted by BIGresearch, found that 8-out-of-10 shoppers will give gift cards this year, thanks to e-gifting, instant delivery through Facebook, personalized video and mobile giving options. Average spending is expected to be the highest since 2007.

WASHINGTON — Up to 152 million people plan to shop Black Friday weekend, compared with the 138 million who planned to do so last year, according to a preliminary Black Friday shopping survey, conducted for the National Retail Federation by BIGresearch. According to the survey, 74 million people said they will definitely hit the stores and another 77 million are waiting to see if the bargains are worth the hassle of Black Friday.

WASHINGTON — According to the National Retail Federation’s annual Return Fraud Survey, completed by loss-prevention executives at 103 retailers, the retail industry will lose an estimated $3.5 billion to return fraud this holiday season, down from $3.7 billion last year. Annual return fraud will cost retailers an estimated $14.4 billion in 2011, up slightly from about $13.7 billion in 2010.

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.