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| Business World Magazine |
November 2012
others. “In these areas, we really focus on
legislative, compliance and operational is-
sues,” Chroust says.
On the retail operations side, RILA
provides a forum where members can con-
duct discussions aimed at understanding
common operational practices, areas of con-
cern and pragmatic solutions to shared prob-
lems.
SHIFTING ECONOMY
The Retail Industry Leaders Association is
always faced with the challenge of dealing
with a tough economy. A consumer that
struggles to pay the rent or utility bills is not
going to have any disposable income to spend
at retail outlets, after all. “These last three or
four years have been a difficult time for the
retail industry as a whole,” Chroust says. “As
the unemployment rate climbed higher and
higher, discretionary spending plummeted
lower and lower.”
While it’s been a tough time for re-
tailers recently, there is a silver lining in the
clouds. The industry had a positive holiday
season in early 2011, with momentum car-
rying into spring and summer. “Retail sales
have slowly yet steadily increased, much in
line with the job situation,” he says. “The
back-to-school selling season was very
strong, helping propel retailers forward for
this upcoming holiday season.”
POLICY INITIATIVES
The Retail Industry Leaders Association en-
joys a positive and productive relationship
with all levels of government.
A public policy issue they are current-
ly leading on deals with interchange fees, or
‘
swipe fees’ as they are commonly referred.