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Upcoming
Plan To Attend "I Am RETAIL Day At The Capitol" March 16
Your story meets your legislators at the Minnesota Retailers Association's I am RETAIL Day at the Capitol.
Our half-day begins with a breakfast reception featuring legislative leaders followed by conversations with legislators at the State Capitol.
With one in four jobs in Minnesota directly connected to retail, our elected officials now more than ever need to understand the impact of their decisions on retail businesses.
No cost to attend. Continental breakfast served. RSVP requested by March 1. Members and invited guests only.
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Sunday Sales
Minnesota House Expected To Vote To Remove Ban On Sunday Liquor Sales
From the StarTribune, February 20, 2017
"Minnesota could take the first step toward erasing the state's ban on Sunday liquor sales.
The House was expected to vote Monday on a bill that would allow liquor stores to open on Sundays. It's a perennial issue at the Capitol that consumes plenty of attention but has never moved forward.
House Speaker Kurt Daudt says he expects it to easily pass, citing a growing appetite among Minnesota residents to repeal the old Prohibition-era law. But the real hurdle is in the Senate, where more lawmakers still favor the ban.
Just a vote on the House floor is a sign of massive change at the Capitol. Previous efforts have only cropped up as amendments to bigger bills. Those votes have generally failed by wide margins."
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Retail Trends
NRF Forecasts Retail Sales Will Increase 3.7 To 4.2 Percent Over 2016
From the National Retail Federation, February 8, 2017
"The National Retail Federation today released its economic forecast for 2017, projecting that retail industry sales, which exclude automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants, will grow between 3.7 and 4.2 percent over 2016. Online and other non-store/online sales, which are included in the overall number, are expected to increase between 8 and 12 percent.
"The economy is on firm ground as we head into 2017 and is expected to build on the momentum we saw late last year," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. "With jobs and income growing and debt relatively low, the fundamentals are in place and the consumer is in the driver's seat. But this year is unlike any other - while consumers have strength they haven't had in the past, they will remain hesitant to spend until they have more certainty about policy changes on taxes, trade and other issues being debated in Congress.
"Lawmakers should take note and stand firm against any policies, rules or regulations that would increase the cost of everyday goods for American consumers," Shay said.
"Prospects for consumer spending are straightforward - more jobs and more income will result in more spending," NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz said. "Regardless of sentiment, the pace of wage growth and job creation dictate spending. Our forecast represents a baseline for the year, but potential fiscal policy changes could impact consumers and the economy. It seems unlikely that businesses will notably increase investment until tax reform and trade policies are well-defined."
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Holiday
What Exactly Is President's Day?
From the National Day Calendar
"Presidents Day is a federal holiday which, in the United States, is observed on the third Monday in February.
This day is set aside, by more and more of America's population, to honor all of the past United States Presidents that have served our country. Two of our nation's greatest Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, are brought to mind as we celebrate this day. Their birth dates, which fall close to this same time, have been celebrated for decades and always will be.
Presidents Day is celebrated with public ceremonies in Washington, D.C. and throughout the United States.
The origin of Presidents Day lay in the 1880s when the birthday of George Washington was celebrated as a federal holiday. In 1968, Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Bill, which moved a number of federal holidays to Mondays.
During the debate on the bill, it was proposed to have George Washington's birthday be renamed Presidents Day to honor the birthdays of both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Washington's birthday is February 22nd and Lincoln's birthday is February 12th. Although Abraham Lincoln's birthday was celebrated in many states, it was never an official federal holiday.
Following much discussion, Congress rejected the name change. However, after the bill went into effect in 1971, Presidents Day became the commonly accepted name."
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Prices
Adobe: Prices On Consumer Goods Surge Past Pre-Holiday Levels
From RetailDIVE, Daphne Howland, February 14, 2017
"Data indicates that inflation may be on the rise following the Fed's rate hike in December," Mickey Mericle, vice president, Marketing and Customer Insights at Adobe, said in a statement. "We'll continue to keep a close eye on price fluctuations as an indicator for the state of the U.S. economy. We're already collaborating with the UK's Office for National Statistics (ONS), recently presented our findings to the Federal Reserve and are meeting with several governments in Latin America to discuss the DPI."
Inflation in December was especially notable for televisions (7.8%), appliances (6.0%) and tablets (5.4%). Despite the month-over-month increases throughout the year, almost all categories showed cumulative deflation throughout 2016, especially for televisions (-19.8%) and tablets (-16.1%), the research found.
- Prices in December jumped 0.6% from November, a significant departure from last year when they remained flat. Prices surged past pre-holiday levels, according to Adobe's Digital Price Index (DPI) for January.
- The trend continued into January, with prices increasing .05%, which resulted in 1.2% cumulative inflation for the last three months - greater than the 0.9% observed during the year-ago period.
- The research comes just after the U.S. Labor Department's consumer price index report, which in January found that rising rents, fuel prices and medical expenses helped drive prices up 2.1% year over year in December, the most since June 2014."
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Minnesota Retailers Associaiton
400 Robert Street North, suite 1540
St. Paul, MN 55101
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