National Retail Federation holds convention in NYC

New York The National Retail Federation (NRF) held its annual convention and expo this week in New York, with a variety of educational programs and numerous vendors focused on store design, logistics, HR management and other retail-related fields.

The event included a “Design Studio,” focused on store design and merchandising concepts. Guest speakers included Home Depot’s Jason Feldman, who discussed new store designs at the retailer, and Melissa Hertel of Lightolier, who spoke on sustainable lighting in a retail setting.

Hertel outlined tax deduction incentives for retailers who participate and use green lighting, as well as strategies to use environmentally friendly lighting fixtures in overall merchandising concepts, with the goal of using “sustainable lighting [that] meets users’ needs with the least consumption of energy and other resources.”

Further education sessions focused on supply chain and logistics, in-store marketing and “big ideas” in retailing. The latter included guests from Microsoft, IBM, Cisco and SAS.

The NRF event will be held through today at the Javits Center in New York.