June 29, 2015

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MnRA visited Alexandria, Duluth, Rochester, Mankato and St. Cloud over the past two weeks to recap the 2015 legislative session with retailers. Make plans to attend our final recap in St. Paul on July 21.
Legislative Wrap Up
Final 2015 Legislative Recap To Feature House Speaker Kurt Daudt

Over the past two weeks the Minnesota Retailers Association visited five cities across the State and met dozens of retailers willing to share their stories with elected officials. Special thanks to Board Chair Chuck Armstrong and Pawn America for support of the legislative wrap up events.

Join MnRA for our final recap of the 2015 legislative session and look ahead to 2016 featuring House Speaker Kurt Daudt. 

With the most influential position in the House, Speaker Daudt is credited with bringing a wide variety of views and agendas together in order to navigate the 2015 legislative session.

Seating for this members-only and invited guests luncheon is limited to 35 attendees.  Pre-registration required. $50 investment includes lunch.

2015 Legislative Recap and Look Ahead
featuring House Speaker Kurt Daudt
Tuesday, July 21
11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Bonfire Woodfire Cooking - Grand Avenue, St. Paul

Sponsorships are available for $250, which includes two tickets to the event.
  

The July 4 Holiday
Americans Ready for Barbecues, Travel for Independence Day

From the National Retail Federation, Kathy Grannis Allen, June 25, 2015


"Summer is in full swing and Americans are ready to put on their red, white and blue to celebrate Independence Day with friends and family - and plenty of food. According to the National Retail Federation's 2015 Independence Day Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, more than 156 million consumers-nearly two thirds of those celebrating (64.4 percent), are planning to take part in the patriotic holiday by attending a cookout, picnic or barbecue, spending an average of $71.23 per household, up from $68.16 last year. Total spending on food items for the holiday is estimated to reach $6.6 billion.*

"The busiest half of the year for retailers is about to begin, and with economic conditions swaying in consumers' favor more so this year than last, many seem eager to take advantage of retailers' promotions," said NRF President and CEO Mathew Shay.

When it comes to shopping for new Independence Day merchandise, though many already have all the patriotic gear they need, more than 48 million consumers - 22.8 percent -will hit the stores looking for decorations, apparel and more to celebrate in style."

  

Payment Security
Banks Should Rethink Signature Verification, Fed's Powell Says    

 

From American Banker, June 29, 2015 

 

"Banks need to take a hard look at the age-old practice of using signatures to authenticate card payments, Federal Reserve Gov. Jerome Powell said Thursday.

In a speech delivered at a Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City conference in Missouri, Powell suggested banks are taking half measures to improve payment security. While the issuance of chip cards to replace magnetic stripes is progress, the chip-and-signature cards U.S. banks have been distributing to customers are less secure than the chip-and-PIN cards standard in other parts of the world.

"The deployment of EMV chip cards in the United States represents an important step forward. But we should not stop there," he said. "New approaches to authentication increasingly offer greater assurance and protection. Given the current technologies that we have at our disposal, we should assess the continued use of signatures as a means of authenticating card transactions."

Visa and MasterCard have set an Oct. 1 deadline for merchants to implement the technology to process chip cards or else assume liability for in-store card fraud.

Powell called the deployment of chip cards "good defense," but said it will take more than that to foil an inevitable attack - banks need to "layer security tools and procedures," he said, "methods to devalue payment data, like tokenization and encryption for data at rest, in use, and in transit, mitigate the effect of a data breach."  

 


Healthcare
Now That The Supreme Court Has Ruled, Congress Should Pivot To ACA Improvements

From the Retail Industry Leaders Association, Sandy Kennedy, June 25, 2015

"Now that the Supreme Court has taken clear action to uphold the critical safety net that Exchange tax credits provide for millions of American families, Congress must now take bipartisan action to make much-needed, and long-awaited, structural changes to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Since enactment of the ACA, RILA has urged members on both sides of the aisle to come together on legislative measures to provide regulatory relief for job creators and our employees. Now is the time for Congress to act on these important issues.

For over four years, RILA has worked with Congress and federal agencies to ensure that retailers can continue to provide quality, affordable health coverage that is customized to meet the specific needs of their employees. Specifically, RILA has worked to raise awareness of challenges, compliance issues and ambiguities that impede employers' ability to comply with the expansive law.
  • Establish a More Efficient Reporting Structure for Employers
  • Restore the 40-hour work-week standard
  • Eliminate the transitional reinsurance fee on businesses
  • Strengthen and improve access to employer wellness programs and consumer directed health products
  • Remove the duplicative automatic enrollment requirement
  • Rescind the problematic 40 percent excise tax on health plans"


Trends
U.S. Consumer Sentiment Rises In June

From Reuters, Michael O'Connor, June 26, 2015

"U.S. consumer sentiment jumped in June, according to a survey released on Friday.

The University of Michigan's final June reading on the overall index on consumer sentiment came in at 96.1, up sharply from 90.7 in May. It was higher than the survey's preliminary reading of 94.6.

The final reading was the highest since January and topped the median forecast of 94.6 among economists polled by Reuters."

  

Retail Crime
Twin Cities Organized Retail Crime Association Conference Set For August 3-4 | Register Today 

Registration is now open for the 1st Annual Twin Cities Organized Retail Crime Association Training & Conference August 3-4 in Plymouth. The agenda includes over twenty speakers on three different tracks.

The conference also includes advanced training on numerous topics from subject matter experts across the country. Speakers include representation from federal, state, and local law enforcement officials, as well as dynamic leaders across the retail and financial services spectrum.


Just announced >> Hitha Prabhakar, retail analyst/investigative reporter, and author of Black Market Billions: How Organized Retail Crime Funds Terrorism, will keynote the event! 


Wages
Panel Backs $10 An Hour Minimum For Airport Workers
From MPRNews.org, Riham Feshir, June 15, 2015 

"The Metropolitan Airports Commission on Monday backed a $10 an hour minimum wage for about 2,800 employees of airline subcontractors.

Commission members voted 11-4 for the proposal, which requires the airport minimum wage to always be $1 more than the state minimum. It takes effect Aug. 1.

Commission Chair Dan Boivin expects wage talks to continue, but said the airport needs to stay competitive to keep airlines from going to similar size airports in the Midwest."

 

Better, Stronger, Faster Retail
Retail University: Register Now For July's Retail 101 Session 

The Minnesota Retailers Association is pleased to introduce a new webinar-based retail education track in partnership with the Council of State Retail Associations--Retail University!

2015 Retail University | Up Next...
 
Retail 101: 10 Tips to Maximize Your Retail Success
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Two webinar time options: 7:30 - 8:30 a.m.; 10:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Presented by Nicole Leinbach-Reyhle, Retail Minded
 
Click here for the full list of Retail University offerings.

Class is in session! Take advantage of this free benefit of membership in the Minnesota Retailers Association and register for these webinars today.

   


Member Service
MnRA's RetailPlus+ Buying Group

The Minnesota Retailers Association (MnRA) has leveraged the collective clout of our members to offer increased savings on the products and services essential to retailers. These vital products and services help Minnesota retailers navigate the often complicated terrain of operating as a retailer.

Thank you for your patience as we redesign the web presence of the RetailPlus+ Buying Group in the coming weeks.

Question on the program? Contact the MnRA staff at (651) 227-6631.  

 
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Minnesota Retailers Associaiton
400 Robert Street North, suite 1540
St. Paul, MN 55101
Tel. (651) 227-6631 - mnretail.org - [email protected]