DECA, a student organization with programs in Buying & Merchandising, Fashion Merchandising, Retail Marketing, Retail Merchandising, and more, is a great partner of NRF Foundation — and retail. Last fall, I had the opportunity to speak on a panel about how the organization prepares students for the workforce. With over 185,000 high school members, DECA [...]

It’s an exciting time at the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing at the University of Arizona. With the addition of the brand new McClellan Park Building and the upcoming Global Retailing Conference, it’s no wonder that so many alumni return to the Center to pursue advanced degrees as their careers unfold. We asked Melinda [...]

When Drexel University signed on as an NRFF College Partner, I wanted to learn more about how the Design and Merchandising program prepared students for the real world.  They referred me to Abby Kessler and Katie Loftus, co-owners of SMAK Parlour in Philadelphia.  After speaking with them, I became so impressed that these two best [...]

In today’s NRF blog post with Kip Tindell, CEO of The Container Store, he talks about employees being a true part of the business. From providing a team-oriented environment, to obsessive training, to the recently launched “We Love Our Employees Day,” (which includes goody boxes for all employees and a full-page advertisement that lists every [...]

After the winning team of this year’s Intercollegiate Retail Challenge delivered their presentation at NRF’s BIG Show, a panel of retail’s top talent developers offered best practices when trying to break into the industry as a college student or recent graduate. Here are a few of their tips: Going abroad. Many companies will be looking [...]