Content about Retail Industry Leaders Association

April 9, 2013

The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

February 26, 2013

RILA exec takes top job at lodging group

Katherine Lugar will join the American Hotel & Lodging Association as president and CEO.

Lugar spent the past six years as EVP of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) where president Sandy Kennedy credited Lugar as a driving force behind the trade group’s growth and key legislative victories on behalf of the industry.

February 26, 2013

RILA exec takes top job at lodging group

Katherine Lugar will join the American Hotel & Lodging Association as president and CEO.

February 14, 2013

Fairness Act deals tax blow to online retailers

The apparent advantage online retailers have over their brick-and-mortar counterparts may soon be gone now that new legislation seeking to enforce the collection of sales tax for all retailers has been introduced.

February 14, 2013

Fairness Act deals tax blow to online retailers

February 5, 2013

RILA seeks tax fairness in 2013

The passage of comprehensive tax reform and a more level playing field between online retailers and Main Street retailers for sales tax collection top the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s public policy priorities for 2013.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The passage of comprehensive tax reform and a more level playing field between online retailers and Main Street retailers for sales tax collection top the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s public policy priorities for 2013.

According to RILA, the retail industry pays among the highest domestic effective tax rates at 36.4% more than 10 percentage points higher than the average for all other industries.

January 28, 2013

Best Buy chief joins RILA board

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) added five industry executives to its board of directors during its semi-annual meeting on Jan. 28 in Los Angeles, Calif.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) added five industry executives to its board of directors during its semi-annual meeting on Jan. 28 in Los Angeles, Calif. Also as a part of the meeting, Walmart president and CEO Bill Simon was re-elected to the board. Executives joining the board are elected to serve two-year terms.

Joining the RILA board of directors are:

January 7, 2013

RILA announces leadership changes

The Retail Industry Leaders Association has made changes to its top staff. Former Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us executive Garth Gasse has joined the association as director of retail operations, asset protection. Lisa LaBruno has been promoted to SVP for retail operations.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association has made changes to its top staff. Former Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us executive Garth Gasse has joined the association as director of retail operations, asset protection. Lisa LaBruno has been promoted to SVP for retail operations.

November 26, 2012

RILA responds to White House report on fiscal cliff

Retail Industry Leaders Association president Sandy Kennedy has responded to the White House report predicting the massive tax increases consumers could face if policymakers fail to avert the fiscal cliff.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Retail Industry Leaders Association president Sandy Kennedy has responded to the White House report predicting the massive tax increases consumers could face if policymakers fail to avert the fiscal cliff.

The report was authored by the National Economic Council and the National Council of Economic Advisors.

November 26, 2012

RILA responds to White House report on fiscal cliff

The report was authored by the National Economic Council and the National Council of Economic Advisors.

September 21, 2012

RILA applauds East Coast port labor extension

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) issued the following statement in response to an announcement that the U.S. Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association have agreed to a 90-day extension of the collective bargaining agreement due to expire on Sept. 30.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) issued the following statement in response to an announcement that the U.S. Maritime Alliance and the International Longshoremen’s Association have agreed to a 90-day extension of the collective bargaining agreement due to expire on Sept. 30.

August 22, 2012

RILA opposed to ‘flawed’ proposed swipe fee settlement

The Retail Industry Leaders Association criticized the proposed swipe fee settlement and urged class plaintiffs to reject the proposal.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association criticized the proposed swipe fee settlement and urged class plaintiffs to reject the proposal. Announced in July, the proposed settlement stems from lawsuits challenging the anticompetitive swipe fee practices of Visa and MasterCard.

July 11, 2012

RILA warns of potentially devastating disruption

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) urged the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance to reach a contract agreement well in advance of the Sept. 30 deadline in order to prevent a disruption to the flow of goods.

The ongoing labor negotiations affect 14 East and Gulf Coast ports, which together account for 95% of all containerized shipments to the Eastern seaboard.

July 5, 2012

RILA seeks release of employer healhcare regulations

The Retail Industry Leaders Association is urging President Obama and his administration to release proposed healthcare regulations that will affect nearly 170 million Americans currently receiving employer-sponsored health coverage.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association is urging President Obama and his administration to release proposed healthcare regulations that will affect nearly 170 million Americans currently receiving employer-sponsored health coverage.

June 20, 2012

Unilever exec Cavaliere joins RILA board

Unilever president of customer development, Joe Cavaliere, is the newest addition to the board of the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

The trade group’s board held its semi-annual meeting earlier this week and elected Cavaliere and re-elected PetSmart president and CEO Bob Moran and IBM’s general manager for the retail industry Karen Lowe.

April 25, 2012

Online disadvantage is $23 billion and expanding

Following up on last week’s commentary (A dot com disconnect and Canadian e-commerce opportunity revealed), the legislative loophole that has U.S. retailers at a disadvantage to their Canadian counterparts was on display again this week during congressional testimony in Washington, D.C. Offering testimony was Katherine Lugar, EVP public affairs for the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), a trade organization where Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel serves as chairman of the board of directors.

April 17, 2012

RILA praises U.S.-Colombia trade deal

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has expressed its support of this week's announcement by President Barack Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will enter into force on May 15.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has expressed its support of this week's announcement by President Barack Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will enter into force on May 15.

March 7, 2012

RILA report highlights importance of multichannel strategy

E-commerce sales continue to grow and have a major impact on multichannel retailers, according to new report from The Retail Industry Leaders Association.

ARLINGTON, Va. — E-commerce sales continue to grow and have a major impact on multichannel retailers, according to new report from The Retail Industry Leaders Association. RILA, in partnership with Auburn University and with sponsorship from Accenture, on Wednesday released the third annual State of The Retail Supply Chain report.

@RILAtweets will moderate a live Twitter chat March 7 from 12 noon to 1 p.m. EST via #RILAchat to discuss the report findings.

February 3, 2012

RILA to debut Labor and Employment Forum

The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Thursday that it will hold the first-ever Labor and Employment Law Forum on March 21-22, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Thursday that it will hold the first-ever Labor and Employment Law Forum on March 21-22, at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

The conference is intended to provide insights from members of Congress, legal experts and retailers on the latest issues on labor and employment law affecting the retail industry.

January 30, 2012

RILA report highlights retail sustainability leadership and innovation

The Retail Industry Leaders Association has released its first report on sustainability practices among some of its retail members.

WASHINGTON — The Retail Industry Leaders Association has released its first report on sustainability practices among some of its retail members. The 2012 Retail Sustainability Report highlights sustainability leadership in the retail industry and highlights company examples to highlight the innovative work of the industry and illustrate what it can anticipate over the coming years.

January 27, 2012

Lowe's board looks to Dollar General leadership

Lowe’s has announced that Richard Dreiling has joined its board of directors.

MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Lowe’s has announced that Richard Dreiling has joined its board of directors. He will serve on the board’s audit and governance committees. The announcement brings Lowe’s board of directors to 12 members, 11 of whom are independent.

January 23, 2012

A retail leader named chairman of retail leaders association

Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel was elected chairman of the board of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).

Steinhafel previously served as the board’s vice chairman and in his new capacity succeeds former RILA board chairman Bill Rhodes, chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone.

January 23, 2012

A retail leader named chairman of retail leaders association

Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel was elected chairman of the board of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA).

Steinhafel previously served as the board’s vice chairman and in his new capacity succeeds former RILA board chairman Bill Rhodes, chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone.

January 23, 2012

Target CEO named chairman of RILA board

The Retail Industry Leaders Association has appointed new members to its board of directors, including a new board chairman.

NAPLES, Fla. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association has appointed new members to its board of directors, including a new board chairman.

RILA said Target chairman, president and CEO Gregg Steinhafel was appointed RILA chairman of the board. Steinhafel, who previously served as vice chairman, succeeds Bill Rhodes, who currently serves as chairman, president and CEO of AutoZone.

January 11, 2012

RILA names tax policy VP

The Retail Industry Leaders Association announced that Kirt Johnson will join the association as VP tax policy.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Retail Industry Leaders Association announced that Kirt Johnson will join the association as VP tax policy.

An expert with nearly 30 years of experience navigating tax policy on Capitol Hill and in the private sector, Johnson will lead RILA’s tax agenda, including the pursuit of comprehensive tax reform. Johnson will also provide support to RILA’s aggressive campaign to level the playing field in terms of sales tax collection between Main Street retailers and their online competitors.