National Retail Federation

NRF: Inflation and interest rates remain key

Inflation and the Federal Reserve’s efforts to bring it under control will continue to play a major role in the economy this year, said Jack Kleinhenz, chief economist at the National Retail Federation (NRF). “With... more »

January 2024 retail sales signal strong start to the year

Retail sales showed a strong beginning for the year in January, nearly matching December’s busy holiday spending and rising significantly year over year, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. Total January 2024 retail sales, excluding... more »

NRF says Valentine’s Day gift spending to reach new record

Total spending on significant others for Valentine’s Day is expected to reach a record $14.2 billion, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. “Retailers are ready... more »

NRF says $743B in merchandise returned in 2023

Total returns for the industry amounted to $743 billion in merchandise in 2023, according to a report released by the National Retail Federation and Appriss Retail. As a percentage of sales, the total return rate... more »

Thanksgiving holiday weekend sees record number of shoppers

A record 200.4 million consumers shopped over the five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, surpassing last year’s record of 196.7 million, according to the annual survey released by the National Retail Federation... more »

NRF survey shows top 5 gift categories for the holidays

As an estimated 182 million people are planning to shop in-store and online from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday, the latest survey from the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics shows the top... more »

2023 import cargo winds down

With most imported holiday season merchandise already here, inbound cargo volume at the nation’s major container ports is expected to slow during the remainder of 2023, according to the Global Port Tracker report by the... more »

2023 holiday spending to reach record levels

Holiday spending is expected to reach record levels during November and December and will grow between 3% and 4% over 2022 to between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion, according to the National Retail Federation (NRF).... more »