Media Center

Coming off a strong holiday season, Americans are expected to set another record for Valentine’s Day spending this year as they continue to widen the range of those they’re buying for, according to the annual survey from NRF and Prosper Insights & Analytics.

NRF says the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement signed by President Trump "will bring continued decades of economic prosperity that will benefit American consumers and the millions of U.S. workers whose jobs depend on the free flow of trade with our nation’s two closest trading partners.”

NRF says the new trade agreement will "modernize trade among our closest trading partners and pave the way for continued prosperity across the borders of North America as the global economy continues to evolve."

Holiday retail sales during 2019 grew 4.1 percent to $730.2 billion, according to NRF. Online sales were up 14.6 percent at $167.8 billion.

NRF welcomed the signing of a “phase one” trade agreement between the United States and China but said work remains to be done to end the trade war between the two countries.

NRF has launched a new Center for Consumer Privacy and Innovation, a retailer-led initiative intended to promote and protect innovation in the retail customer experience.

Today’s consumers increasingly prioritize convenience when it comes to purchases and expect retailers to continue to offer innovative ways to save them time and effort.

NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said "there was no one more passionately dedicated to the association world and non-profit community" than ASAE President and CEO John H. Graham IV.

More than 850 retail executives, including board members from the National Retail Federation and the NRF Foundation, and students came together to celebrate.

NRF announced that Qurate Retail, Inc. President and CEO Mike George has been elected chairman of the NRF Board of Directors. George replaces BJ’s Wholesale Club Chairman and CEO Christopher Baldwin, who has served since January 2018.