Media Center

NRF welcomed House action on legislation that would give employers more time and flexibility to use Paycheck Protection Program money aimed at helping small businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic.

NRF welcomed the introduction of the Pandemic Risk Insurance Act, which would establish a federal program to help businesses obtain insurance coverage for pandemics modeled on a system for terrorism insurance established following 9/11.

NRF welcomed legislation agreed to by key members of the Senate that would give businesses more time to use Paycheck Protection Program money and spend it on safety equipment and improvements in addition to employee wages.

Retail sales numbers are not a surprise given the current state of affairs, says NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay.

Retail sales dropped almost twice as much during April as they did in March as the nation’s economy saw its first full month when most businesses were closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

NRF asked a federal appeals court to overturn a recent California worker classification law, saying the measure makes it harder to contract with independent truck drivers by narrowing circumstances under which an individual can work as a contractor rather than an employee.

Imports at major U.S. retail container ports are expected to see double-digit year-over-year declines this spring and summer as the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic continue, according to the Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

With some stores starting to reopen as governors lift stay-at-home orders across the country, economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic is likely to come gradually and may vary by location, according to NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz.

NRF welcomed the Federal Reserve’s decision to allow larger mid-size businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic to participate in its $600 billion Main Street Lending Program, a move proposed by NRF earlier this month.

The effort will provide operational guidelines and considerations developed with input from hundreds of retail industry leaders convened by NRF across four functional areas for America's retail sector: health and safety; people and personnel; logistics and supply chain; and litigation and liability.