Stores Magazine - November 2007 - (Page 114) INSIDE TRACK NRFnews Labor Secretary Addresses HR Summit & WHO WHAT WHEN NRF’S ANNUAL Human Resources Executives Summit, held last month in Chicago, brought together more than 100 of the retail industry’s top HR and employment law executives. The conference featured Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, who outlined the Labor Department’s agenda for the remainder of the Bush administration as well as issues that affect the retail industry. “If our country is going to remain competitive, we need to make sure that workers have the access to the education and training they need to upgrade their skills,” Chao said. “Competitiveness is a major focus at the Department of Labor.” In addition to the address by Chao, the summit provided a forum for the exchange of best practices and gave attendees an opportunity to participate in Elaine Chao joint meetings of NRF’s Human Resource Executives Council, Committee on Employment Law and the Health and Employee Benefits Committee. Retail HR executives also heard from labor lawyers, fellow HR professionals and others on issues ranging from employee turnover to immigration enforcement. “Shoppers will be a little more conservative with their spending as they become more aware of the softness in the economy,” says NRF president and CEO Tracy Mullin. “It is safe to say that many retailers will be competing on price, causing this holiday season to be very promotional — a tremendous win for consumers.” The Holiday Headquarters page on NRF’s website, www.nrf.com/holidayhq, provides numerous resources, including historical holiday sales, NRF’s Holiday Survival Kit, a 2007 holiday press release schedule, gift card spending and holiday employment statistics. Green Pavilion NRF WILL teach retailers how to Dream Big and Dream Green at the Green Pavilion on the EXPO floor of Retail’s BIG Show, January 13-16, 2008 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City. Retailers will have the opportunity to examine environmentally-friendly business solutions and learn how conservation can contribute to the bottom line. Products and initiatives exhibited from leading environmentally conscious businesses will be shared. Companies will demonstrate a variety of green solutions like gift cards made from recycled materials, waste management and recycling services solutions, information on ways to recycle computers, products and other computer hardware, tips on water-saving techniques and services that reduce carbon footprints. NRF’s 97th Annual Convention & EXPO will feature other pavilions of interest to retailers, as well: • The ARTS Standards Pavilion, which will share how retailers are using ARTS standards to achieve savings and flexibility in their IT operations • The Customer Experience Pavilion, a hands-on environment where customer-engaging technologies can be tested • KioskCom.com’s Self-Service Pavilion, highlighting kiosk-specific technology and its applications for retailers • The NRF Foundation, featuring educational, workforce enhancing and career training programs, as well as the Retail Skills Centers • The Supply Chain and Logistics Hub • The Veterans in Business Pavilion for veteran-owned retail businesses. WWW.STORES.ORG Holiday Headquarters Open for Business A RECENT forecast and survey generated by NRF revealed that spending will be more reserved this holiday season, even though shoppers still plan to spend more than they did last year. NRF’s holiday forecast, released in September, predicts that sales will rise 4 percent this year to $474.5 billion. NRF’s 2007 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch and released in October, reinforces that forecast. In the survey, consumers said they plan to spend an average of $816.69 on holiday-related shopping, in addition to $106.67 on themselves. These numbers bring total planned holiday-related spending to $923.36, an increase of 3.7 percent from 2006. 114 STORES / NOVEMBER 2007 http://www.nrf.com/holidayhq, http://WWW.STORES.ORG
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