The National Retail Federation (NRF) strives to protect and advance retail industry interests by providing services and conducting programs in government affairs, information technology, education, training, and research. NRF members represent leading merchandise, independent, specialty, discount, and mass-merchandise stores; key suppliers to the retail industry; and more than a hundred trade organizations across the globe. NRF's interactive boards and committees, comprised of industry experts in their areas of specialization, are designed to represent and reflect industry's diversity and breadth. These boards and committees formulate and implement policies, standards, guidelines, and strategies that are consistent with retail industry objectives.

The NRF believes lobbying is a "necessary tool to ensure that [NRF] interests and…way of doing business is preserved" (Mullin, 1999). Fortune magazine, one of the premier publications in the business world, ranked the NRF among the top thirty lobbying organizations in the nation. Additionally, to assist members financially, NRF's member discount program pools the membership's buying power to negotiate reductions on a variety of services and products.

NRF's information technology component serves as the retail industry's information technology headquarters. NRF's groups (the Information Technology Council and various committees) help configure the retail technology environment. They analyze existing and upcoming technologies, as well as potential regulatory and legislative initiatives, and educate private and government entities about retail technology concerns and needs.

Further, through the NRF's various publications (STORES Magazine, Management of Retail Buying, Small Store Survival, Combined Financial, Merchandising and Operating Results of Retail Stores in 1997, and many others), valuable information, which can be transformed into best practices, is disseminated. For example, the NRF developed standard color and size codes (used to implement Universal Product Codes) and published them in its Standard Color and Size Code Handbook.

More information is available from the NRF at 325 7th St., NW, Suite 100, Washington, D.C. 20004; (202) 783-7971 or (800) NRF-HOW2; or http://www.nrf.com.

Bibliography

Mullin. T. Archived at: http://www.nrf.com/dir/presletter/. 1999.

National Retail Foundation (NRF). Archived at: http://www.nrf.com/dir/standing/. 1999.

NRF. "Information Technology: The Headquarters of Technology Across the Retail Industry." Archived at: http://www.nrf.com/hot/it/. 1999.

NRF. "Member Discount Program." Archived at: http://www.nrf.com/services/group/. 1999.

NRF. "Mission Statement." Archived at: http://www.nrf.com/about/. 1999.

NRF. "Publications." Archived at: http://www.nrf.com/pubs/. 1999.