NRFF Executive Director, Kathy Mance, and Director of Retail Learning Solutions, Sarah Conrad, traveled to Alexandria, Egypt to present at a conference of 1,000 members of the Chamber of Commerce.  As part of the opening ceremony, Kathy officially signed an agreement with Chamber Chairman Ahmed El Wakil to develop and localize a Retail Training and [...]

After interviewing Jerry O’Brien, we decided to get the student’s perspective on Kohl’s Department Stores Center for Retailing Excellence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s spring break trip to China. We talked to Sarah Ackerman, president of the Student Retail Association and asked her to share her experience on international retailing in Hong Kong and Shanghai. UW-Madison has [...]

NRF Foundation’s Executive Director, Kathy Mance, traveled to Beijing, China earlier this month to follow up on a training program first delivered in December.  While there, Kathy watched a retail training program in action (and delivered in Chinese!), tasted new cuisine and climbed the Great Wall of China. But what excited her most was learning about the retail opportunities [...]

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 [...]

Valentine’s Day is over.  You bought the flowers, the gifts and shared the romantic dinner. I can’t help but think about a different kind of love – a love for working in retail. What I love about this industry is that it provides a niche for everyone, whether it’s sales, marketing, buying, supply chain or [...]