March 13, 2017


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MnRA Leadership  
Grand Jeté's Ruthena Fink Brings Over Three Decades Of Local Retail Experience To Leadership Role
 
The Minnesota Retailers Association (MnRA) is pleased to welcome Ruthena Fink, owner of Grand Jeté on St. Paul's Grand Avenue, as its 2017 Board chair. In her leadership role, Fink leads 27 Board members representing retailers across the state and a staff dedicated to contributing to the growth of Minnesota's economy.

Ruthena Fink 
Fink, a long-time resident of St. Paul, opened her dancewear store in 1983. Dancing since she was just seven years old, her love of dance and people found a great home in retail ownership following a career as the Student Financial Aid Director at Macalester College.

Having operated in the same location since opening, Fink has remained a constant in the Midwest dance scene. Despite changes in how retail businesses operate and the ways customers shop, Fink's passion for personal service has not changed since the first day she opened her doors.

As a one-store, local retailer, Fink has worked closely with her neighborhood and city throughout her years, but notes that today local government has a deeper interest in businesses than ever before.

"In my over three decades of retail store ownership, I have never seen local government more interested in being involved in my business and in my relationship with my employees. Minneapolis and St. Paul have already passed ordinances impacting employers--whether they be national retailers, regional retailers, or one or two person shops. One of the challenges for our industry is telling our story at the local level, and MnRA is poised to help retailers across the state do just that. We need a strong voice to help our public partners understand how their decisions impact customers, careers, and communities," says Fink when discussing her leadership focus for the year.

Fink's MnRA priorities include adding retail voices to the organization, working with the State Legislature on issues that strengthen retailer contributions to communities, and establishing a framework for local engagement on issues.

Glen Thompson
Fink succeeds Glen Thompson who served as Board Chair in 2016 representing JC Penney out of the Ridgedale, Minnetonka location. Thompson recently retired after a 40-plus year retail career and resides in Plymouth.

"Glen was an outstanding leader and ambassador of Minnesota's retail community. He brought a depth of understanding of retail and Minnesota's workforce to the Association. Glen made sure we strengthened our policy presence at the State Capitol and reacted to local workplace initiatives," said association president Bruce Nustad. "Ruthena carries on a tradition of strong volunteer leadership at MnRA including 12 years on the Board of Directors, and you would be challenged to find a kinder, more customer-connected retailer in Minnesota."

Fink received national honors in 2014 when she was named an America's Retail Champion finalist by the National Retail Federation, recognizing her connection to community and commitment to telling retail's story.

Grand Jeté has been a MnRA member since the store opened nearly 34 years ago. Fink was elected chair of the Board in January with a term that runs through December 31, 2017.

Upcoming
Legislative Leaders To Update Retailers On Issues At The Capitol This Thursday 

Join us this Thursday for our 5th Annual Retail Day At The Capitol! Our half-day begins at the Doubletree Hotel - St. Paul with a hot breakfast and legislative leaders, followed by conversations with legislators at the State Capitol. Transportation provided! 

C
an't take a half day out of your schedule? Join us for the breakfast portion of the event from 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. to get caught up on the big issues impacting you!

I Am RETAIL Day At The Capitol
Thursday, March 16
7:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. breakfast & legislative leader panel - Doubletree Hotel - St. Paul
9:00 a.m. to noon legislative visits - State Capitol

Register now!    

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka
 
Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk
House Speaker Kurt Daudt
House Minority Leader Melissa Hortman
  No cost to attend. Hot breakfast served. Open to members and invited guests.
 

Sponsored by:         

Presenting


Partnership
 





Contributing:



Consumer Spending 
Economy Driving Double-Digit Growth in Imports Despite Tariff and Border Tax Talk in Washington

From the National Retail Federation, March 9, 2017

"Imports at the nation's major retail container ports should see double-digit year-over-year increases for the next two months as a growing economy increases the demand for affordable merchandise, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

"Consumers are spending more freely and retailers are stocking up for the spring and summer seasons," NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. "Merchants are making sure they are prepared to meet growing demand, and imports are essential to providing American families with the products they need at prices they can afford."

"The threat of a 'border adjustment' tax, withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and a possible rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement might eventually dampen the trading spirit and discourage international trade," Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. "In the meantime, the opposite is happening - trade is continuing to grow despite these developments in Washington."

Ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled an unusually high 1.67 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in January, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. The large volume came as factories in Asia shipped a surge of products ahead of Lunar New Year shutdowns and was up 6.5 percent from December and 12.5 percent year-over-year. One TEU is one 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent.

February was estimated at 1.61 million TEU, up 4.2 percent from last year. March is forecast at 1.46 million TEU, up 10.6 percent from last year; April at 1.59 million TEU, up 10.1 percent; May at 1.67 million TEU, up 2.9 percent; June at 1.66 million TEU, up 5.5 percent, and July at 1.71 million TEU, up 5.2 percent.

The first half of 2017 is expected to total 9.7 million TEU, up 7.4 percent from the first half of 2016. Cargo volume for 2016 totaled 18.8 million TEU, up 3.1 percent from 2015, which had grown 5.4 percent from 2014."

 
Shipping 
Retailers, Parcel Carriers See Lower Margins And Higher Costs From E-Commerce   

From SupplyChain DIVE, Edwin Lopez, March 9, 2017

" There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but consumers have largely been eating for cheap when it comes to e-commerce, as the promise of increased sales has long induced retailers and carriers alike to subsidize the unsustainable practice of free shipping.

Now, both parties are biting their tongues as consumers take for granted what used to be a luxury, and those who do not offer it are burdened with a disadvantage. Yet, it turns out free shipping does not have to be free, as long as it is good. Amazon's subscription service is a prime example of a pricey program in exchange for faster delivery. Meanwhile, recent surveys show consumers are willing to pay more and are more likely to return for guaranteed same day delivery.

Yet, DC Velocity's report shows the urgency by which retailers and their carriers are looking to turn a promise-turned-expectation into a sustainable delivery model. For carriers, building out their network is a huge first step, as is being aware of their network's capacity. For retailers, it may be figuring out ways to minimize the costs of omnichannel offerings and ensuring that each new channel does, in fact, promise greater revenue."

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