Jan05
The New York Times today did an excellent job of explaining the complicated issue of credit and debit card interchange fees. The Times focused on debit cards in a Page One story titled How Visa, Using Card Fees, Dominates a Market, then addressed interchange more broadly in a video on its web site titled Visa [...]
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Posted in: Finance | Public Policy | Video Also tagged congress, credit card interchange, credit cards, debit cards, Government Accountability Office, interchange, mastercard, National Retail Federation, nrf, retail, swipe fees, visa |
Nov02
You’ve probably heard by now that CIT Group filed for bankruptcy protection over the weekend. But despite all the hype about this being one of the biggest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history it looks like most retailers may have dodged a bullet.
CIT is important to the retail industry because it provides specialized “factor” financing to [...]
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Oct19
Thousands of retailers struggling to survive the current recession could see a welcome influx of cash by Christmas if a federal judge approves a request to distribute more than $1 billion remaining from the six-year-old settlement of a lawsuit against Visa and MasterCard debit card practices.
The class-action lawsuit, brought by NRF and about 20 of [...]
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Oct06
NRF released its holiday forecast, projecting holiday retail sales to decline one percent. For more details about historical sales, employment info and shopping tips, check out NRF’s Holiday Survival Kit.
NRF’s Ellen Davis spoke to CNBC about the outlook for the holiday season and what this means for both retailers and consumers. Davis said “retailers know [...]
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Sep25
Each year in the U.S., seasonal flu kills approximately 36,000 people. The 2009 H1N1 influenza (also known as the swine flu) outbreak has demonstrated how rapidly a new strain of flu can emerge and spread around the world. And as we approach the 2009 flu season, many people have begun to ask me about the [...]
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Sep02
As the first Hurricanes of the 2009 season passed by with minimal damage, I am reminded of the past devastation of storms such as Katrina, Andrew, Wilma, Ivan and Rita. These Hurricanes caused millions of dollars in damage and accounted for numerous fatalities.
Since the turn of the century, hurricane-related deaths have dropped considerably while property [...]
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Jul14
When the temperatures outside begin heating up across the country, retailers know it’s time to roll out the red carpet, crank up the air conditioning and welcome the millions of eager back to school and college shoppers. Second only to the winter holidays in terms of consumer spending, the back to school shopping season is [...]
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May29
We were thrilled to see retail companies listed in Universum USA’s annual survey of undergraduates about their top picks for the most desired companies to work for. Though there are differing opinions about what makes an “ideal employer,” retail is an industry full of prestigious companies, advancement opportunities, growth, stability, and, contrary to popular opinion, [...]
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Jan12
NRF’s President and CEO Tracy Mullin addressed a standing-room-only crowd of attendees this morning. Here is a transcript of her remarks:
Good morning and welcome to the Big Show!
It’s exciting to see so many of you here this week, especially given the difficult year just passed.
2008 brought us, with lightning speed, a financial crash of historic [...]
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