NRF News

Retail’s Big Show last month was the biggest annual convention NRF has ever seen — in more ways than one. Attendance set an all-time record with 25,500 participants from 85 countries. There were more vendors than ever — 400 companies occupying the equivalent of five football fields. And we took over a whole new section of New York’s Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to accommodate the crowd.

Lost among the headlines that have typically framed discussions of the now years-long “recovery” — the continuing high rates of unemployment and under-employment, a stagnant housing market and ongoing public sector austerity measures — is a bona fide economic success story: The retail industry has delivered 17 consecutive months of sales increases.

To be sure, there were some months where the lift was barely perceptible, but against the current economic backdrop, sustained growth — however modest — stands out.

The past year has been one of major change for NRF’s National Council of Chain Restaurants division. Long-time president Jack Whipple retired at the end of 2010, and successor Rob Green was appointed to lead the division in March.

R etailers are well aware how important our industry is to the nation’s economy. To underscore this with lawmakers and the public, NRF has launched an unprecedented year-long campaign to highlight how vital our industry is to the economic recovery and to ensure that Congress supports a pro-retail, pro-jobs agenda.