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Top stories summarized by our editors
Top stories summarized by our editors

Best Buy bets on national job fairs to recruit holiday hires

10/8/2019

Best Buy will hold a series of hiring events across the country this month to recruit thousands of seasonal staffers in a tight labor market, the retailer said. US retailers are expected to hire between 530,000 and 590,000 temporary staffers this holiday season, according to an NRF forecast.

Will global politics, economics dampen holiday spending?

10/4/2019

Low unemployment and higher wages have consumers feeling confident, but uncertainty over global economics and politics is a threat to that optimism heading into the holiday shopping season, according to NRF's annual holiday forecast. NRF is predicting an increase in holiday sales of between 3.8% and 4.2%, and AlixPartners has released an even more optimistic forecast with similar caveats.

NRF: Holiday retail sales, seasonal hiring set to grow

10/3/2019

US holiday retail sales are on track to grow between 3.8% and 4.2% this year, up from a 2.1% rise in November and December of last year, with trade uncertainty cited as a potential drag, according to NRF's forecast. NRF also predicts that retailers will add as many as 590,000 seasonal staffers this year, compared with 554,000 last year.

NRF survey: Social media to inspire Halloween purchases

9/26/2019

About 172 million US consumers plan to celebrate Halloween this year, spending an average of $86.27 per person on candy, costumes, cards and decorations for a total of $8.8 billion, according to a survey from NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics. "Spending hasn't changed much over the past few years, but we are seeing a noticeable increase in consumers whose Halloween purchases are inspired by their friends, neighbors and even celebrities on social media," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said.

NRF CEO: Tariffs won't fix US-China trade relationship

9/20/2019

Stocks rose Thursday after President Donald Trump tweeted a plan to delay tariff increases on $250 billion in Chinese imports from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15, but other recent economic data shows the ongoing US-China trade war is taking a toll on US businesses and jobs. NRF and other business groups agree with the goal of restructuring the US-China trade relationship, but they don't support tariffs as an effective tactic, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said.

How Gap's LP leader also helps preserve the planet

9/20/2019

As executive vice president of loss prevention and global sustainability at Gap Inc., Keith White has a unique title and position: While protecting the company's people and assets, he also takes care of the planet. White discusses emerging trends in the LP world and how Gap is taking corporate social responsibility to the next level on NRF's Retail Gets Real podcast. Listen.

Changing retail scene calls for new performance measurements

9/16/2019

Traditional methods of measuring retail performance and success don't hold up as the industry continues to change rapidly, and new standards are needed to show the true picture, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. Deloitte has proposed a new set of retail benchmarks focused on measuring and reporting the ways retailers create value for both customers and shareholders.

NRF CEO: Tariffs won't fix US-China trade relationship

9/13/2019

Stocks rose Thursday after President Donald Trump tweeted a plan to delay tariff increases on $250 billion in Chinese imports from Oct. 1 to Oct. 15, but other recent economic data shows the ongoing US-China trade war is taking a toll on US businesses and jobs. NRF and other business groups agree with the goal of restructuring the US-China trade relationship, but they don't support tariffs as an effective tactic, NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said.