IImagine going to the grocery store for dinner, not to pick up a rotisserie chicken to take home, but to actually eat at the store. As online grocery shopping grows, many supermarkets are adding sit-down restaurants in a move to attract more millennials. And it seems to be working.

This valued event brings together the leaders of Georgia’s retail industries along with Georgia legislators to discuss the future of retail as well as laying the foundation for GRA’s legislative and membership priorities for 2018.

Kyle Riggs, who manages Market Grille, the restaurant at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Columbia, Mo., says most people don't expect to find this level of food service next to the produce aisle.

"And then when they walk in here, they're just amazed at the full wine wall with the ladder that slides," he says. "We have 20 beers on tap and a lot of high-end alcohol, whiskeys and things like that, and great food."

The ingredients come from the store. They are cooked in the store's kitchen and served here. Riggs says football games can pack the 148-seat restaurant with college students and young professionals.

Indeed, Rob Hunt, 30, and Aaron Hadlow, 28, have been stopping by all summer for happy hour after work. Hunt says the variety of food, the local, craft beer on tap and ultimately the price are a big draw.

"You can't get $2 pints of beer anywhere else and that's honestly the biggest thing," he says. "We tried a couple of other places this summer and they were fun, but it's just cheaper over here."

Across the country, supermarkets like Whole Foods have been offering sit-down dining and drink deals for years. The trend of adding full restaurants, sometimes called "groceraunts," falls in line with the uptick in prepared store meals, which has grown 30 percent since 2008 and driven $10 billion in sales last year, according to the NPD group.

Hy-Vee, which was one of the early adopters of the groceraunt model, has added 115 Market Grilles to date.

While grocery stores had been losing customers in recent years to smaller markets and online food shopping, groceraunts have helped bring back foot traffic to the old-school grocers.

"It's really made a big difference for us in the evening," says Jeremy Gosch, executive vice president strategy and chief merchandising officer, at Hy-Vee, Inc. "That's where most traditional grocery store food service had oppurtunity."

Gosch says creating an in-house restaurant, different ambiance and different lighting were important to draw in diners. "I think we're capturing business that we didn't have before in our food service department," he says.

While people are looking for more options in prepared foods, the traditional center of the store, with cans of beans and boxes of cereal, has had to make room. That means space on the shelf is becoming more competitive.

"As ... we continue to roll out into existing stores some food service updates and expansion, especially on meals to go for consumption at home, I think you'll see a little bit of that compression," Gosch says. That could mean a future with only one size and brand of canned tomatoes on the shelf.

A large part of this shift is thanks to millennials, like Hunt and Hadlow, who are more likely to dine out than older generations. More than half of millennials surveyed by financial services firm Morgan Stanley said they had eaten out in the past week, compared to 43 percent of previous generations.

Today, groceraunts are featuring seasonal menus and hiring graduates of the Culinary Institute of America as chefs. Food industry analyst Phil Lempert says this appeals to millennials, too.

"What these groceraunts can do is give them a convenient location where they can meet their friends, where they can have great food, and have it at a great value," he says. "That becomes a terrific formula to attract this generation."

Millennials are also turning away from slumping restaurant chains, like Chili's or Applebee's, which plans to close up to 60 locations this year.

That's forcing some restaurant chains to look toward grocery stores as potential partners. Think of Starbucks and Caribou coffee kiosks in grocery stores, except in this case, Wolfgang Puck wants his cafe to become the in-house restaurant, says Lempert.

"Now these restaurateurs want their space in the supermarket as well, because they know that it's more convenient for people, it's more of a one-stop-shop, and it's hurting their traditional restaurants," he says.

The next step for grocery stores may be to add home meal-delivery options, Lempert says, as digital orders ramp up with tech-savvy, young adults. Market analysts are looking at the Amazon-Whole Foods merger and expect both more restaurants to be added to grocery stores, and more people to order their groceries and dinner together online.

"This is a trend that's going to continue to grow," Lemeprt says. "Grocers are putting more money and more effort in this. They see it as their culinary mark, if you would, on society. So this is here to stay."

For Immediate Release: July 31, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015

1st Annual Best Bagger Competition winner was Kelina Salinas from Lucky’s Market, who received a $1,000 cash prize and all-expense paid trip to February’s national championship

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Grocers Association (FGA), a division of the Florida Retail Federation, hosted an event to identify Florida’s best bagger of groceries among Sunshine State grocery industry employees. The 1st Annual Florida Best Bagger Competition took place Sunday, July 23 during the 2017 Sunshine EXPO®, one of the largest retailing events in the Southeast, with contestants representing a number of grocery stores throughout Florida. The winner of this inaugural contest was Kelina Salinas from Lucky’s Market. In addition to taking home “bagging rights” for the year, Kelina also won the $1,000 grand prize along with an all-expense paid trip to represent Florida and compete for a $10,000 grand prize at the National Grocers Association National Best Bagger Championship held in February 2018, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“We were thrilled with the interest and participation from our grocery members for our first ever Best Bagger Competition as well as the excitement of the audience during the event,” said FGA Executive Director Josie Correa. “I want to congratulate all of the contestants for participating in this inaugural event, and we look forward to supporting Kelina and cheering her on as she represents the State of Florida at the national championships in February.”

The runner-up bagger, Josue Anelus from Publix, received $500 while the third place contestant, J.P. Paiva also from Publix, won $250.

The Florida Best Bagger Competition was for supermarket employees demonstrating a superior core customer service skill in a friendly competition. Contestants were judged by speed of bagging, proper bag-building technique, weight distribution in the bag, as well as style, attitude and appearance. All stores were encouraged to do their own in-store competition and then send their best bagger to the Florida competition. Family, friends, cheer teams and fellow workers were in attendance to cheer on their favorite contestant.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA GROCERS ASSOCIATION
The Florida Grocers Association, a division of the Florida Retail Federation, was launched in 2015 to provide a voice and identity to the state’s $45 billion grocery industry. FGA’s goal is to advocate for its members at the local, state and national level while serving the needs of the more than 2,300 grocery stores and their industry partners statewide. For more information about the Florida Grocers Association, please visit flgrocers.com.

For Immediate Release: July 25, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015

Popular annual shopping holiday takes place August 4-6; Eligible technology items up to $750 are tax free meaning significant savings for Florida families

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Retail Federation (FRF), the state’s premier trade association celebrating its 80th year of supporting Florida’s retailers, is reminding Floridians and retailers of the upcoming back-to-school sales tax holiday weekend, taking place August 4-6. Serving as the state’s 2nd busiest shopping “holiday,” the weekend is expected to bring in near record-breaking sales, while Floridians are able to stretch their hard-earned dollars further and employees benefit from additional jobs and wages. Additionally, this year’s holiday sees the return of eligible technology items up to $750 tax free, which means substantial savings for Florida families.

“We are looking forward to another successful Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday, and applaud Governor Scott and the Legislature for recognizing the significance it has on our hard-working families and the 270,000 retailers throughout the State of Florida,” said FRF President and CEO R. Scott Shalley. “Each year, shoppers show up in record numbers and provide a tremendous economic boost overall to retailers’ sales numbers while they are able to afford more of the supplies they need.”

Nationally, the average family is expected to spend $687.72 on apparel and accessories, shoes and school supplies, up eight percent from 2016, according to FRF’s national partners at the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insights and Analytics. Nationally, sales for this back-to-school shopping weekend are expected to reach $83.6 billion, a more than 10 percent increase from last year’s $75.8 billion.

Families with children in elementary through high school plan to spend an average of $687.72 each, for a total of $29.5 billion, an 8 percent increase from last year’s $27.3 billion. Total spending is the second-highest in the history of the survey following a peak of $30.3 billion in 2012.

According to the survey, back-to-school shoppers plan to spend $10.2 billion on clothing (purchased by 95 percent of respondents), $8.8 billion on electronics such as computers or calculators (60 percent), $5.6 billion on shoes (93 percent) and $4.9 billion on school supplies such as notebooks, folders, pencils, backpacks and lunchboxes (97 percent). Parents say they will spend an average of $238.89 on clothing, $204.33 on electronics, $130.38 on shoes and $114.12 on school supplies. While consumers plan to spend more across all categories, shoes and school supplies seeing the highest expected increase.

For the first time, the survey asked consumers what types of electronics they plan to purchase. Among electronics shoppers, 45 percent said they would buy a laptop computer while more than a third plan to purchase a tablet (35 percent) or a calculator (35 percent). One in four plan to purchase electronic accessories such as a mouse, flash drive or charger.

According to the survey, 65 percent of back-to-school shoppers say half or more of their purchases are a direct result of their children’s influence, up from 57 percent last year. And while children’s influence is growing, so too is their willingness to help their parents pay the bill: teenagers will contribute $37.64, up from last year’s $32.90, and pre-teens will contribute $27.09, up from last years $20.08.

More families will tackle their back-to-school lists early this year with 27 percent beginning two months before the beginning of school, up from 22 percent last year. But not all shoppers are early birds, 21 percent will wait until the last week or two before school starts, about the same as last year’s 22 percent. Of those shopping early, 60 percent say they are trying to spread out their budgets, 48 percent don’t want to miss out on sales and 43 percent want to avoid crowds.

When it comes to where parents will buy, they are shopping across a variety of retailers; 57 percent will shop at department stores, 54 percent at discount stores, 46 percent each at clothing stores and online, and 36 percent at office supply stores. For those shopping online, 91 percent plan to take advantage of free shipping and 54 percent will buy online and pick up in-store.

The back-to-school sales tax holiday has been one of the most popular shopping holidays among consumers and retailers and has been providing vital tax relief since it first began. The holiday has been recognized in 16 out of the 20 years since it first began in 1998. This year will mark the 8th year in a row it has taken place. For the complete list of eligible tax-free items, see floridarevenue.com/.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION
The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers -- the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.

For Immediate Release: July 5, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015

Business owner Mallea is the choice in House District 116 for Florida’s premier retail industry association

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) PAC, the state’s premier trade association celebrating its 80th year of supporting Florida’s retailers, today announced its endorsement of Jose Mallea for the Florida House. Mallea, a Republican, is running for election in House District 116 in South Florida. “As a brewer, accomplished small business owner, and someone who has signed the front of a paycheck, Jose is familiar with the changes that need to be made in order to strengthen and enhance Florida’s business community,” said FRF President/CEO R. Scott Shalley. “We’re eager to see the impact Jose will make as the representative of House District 116, as we work with him on supporting Sunshine State businesses and retailers.” A native of Miami, Mallea is an accomplished business owner and job creator. Jose previously served in the George W. Bush White House and managed Marco Rubio’s first U.S. Senate campaign.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers -- the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.

For Immediate Release: July 6, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015

Local business leader Newstreet is the choice in House District 44 for Florida’s premier retail industry association representing one of Florida’s largest employment industries

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) PAC, the state’s premier trade association celebrating its 80th year of supporting Florida’s retailers, today announced its endorsement of John Newstreet for the Florida House. Newstreet, a Republican, is running for election in House District 44 in Central Florida.

“As the president of a local chamber and a business leader, John is familiar with the importance of supporting local businesses and ensuring they have the ability, resources and support to grow and succeed,” said FRF President/CEO R. Scott Shalley. “We’re confident John will take this business-friendly focus with him as the new representative for House District 44 and we look forward to the opportunity to work with him in support of our members.”

John currently serves as the President/CEO of the Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce. John served in the U.S. Coast Guard, graduated from the University of Central Florida and worked as a financial planner before being called back into service as the Florida director of the American Legion. His work for veterans later earned him a job with then U.S. Senators Mel Martinez and Marco Rubio. John’s charitable and community work includes Boy Scouts of America, Give Kids the World, county emergency operations, and several others.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION
The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers -- the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.

For Immediate Release: July 6, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015

City of Aventura Police Department’s Marquez selected as the 2017 FRF Law Enforcement Officer of the Year; Joseph LeSerra of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office selected as Runner-Up

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Retail Federation (FRF), the state’s premier trade association celebrating its 80th year of supporting Florida’s retailers, announced today the winners of its annual law enforcement officer of the year awards. Detective Sandra Marquez of the City of Aventura Police Department was selected as the 2017 Florida Retail Federation Law Enforcement Officer of the Year (LEOY). Selected as the Runner-Up was Detective Joseph LeSerra of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Both are being recognized, in part, for their work in preventing organized retail crime, and will be honored at a prestigious law enforcement awards dinner on Thursday, July 20, at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee in conjunction with the 2017 Loss Prevention Conference.

“The men and women of Florida’s law enforcement community put their lives on the line each day to keep Florida’s 270,000 retailers, their employees, customers and merchandise safe,” said FRF President/CEO R. Scott Shalley. “We are thankful for their dedicated service to protecting all of us, and we are honored to be able to recognize both Detective Marquez and Detective LaSerra on behalf of the thousands of law enforcement professionals throughout our state.”

Detective Marquez will receive a cash award and a custom-crafted medallion and plaque, in addition to her name being added to an official plaque that lists each LEOY recipient since the program’s inception in 1974. Two officers were selected to receive Honorable Mentions and will be recognized locally. They are: Detective Lazaro Daniel of the Miami-Dade Police Department and Detective Ismael Hau of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office.

2017 WINNER: DETECTIVE SANDRA MARQUEZ Detective Marquez is a 10-year veteran of law enforcement and the Aventura Police Department. She has been instrumental in the success of their new economic crimes unit and having a positive impact on retail crimes and fraud investigations. Case examples during this year’s award period include: a self-initiated fraud investigation in which she worked with a regional loss prevention investigator to identify several store employees who were working to commit credit card fraud; used various techniques to identify a restaurant employee who was skimming customers’ credit cards; identified a multi-jurisdictional email phishing wire fraud ring that so far has uncovered more than $3 million in fraudulent wire transactions spanning multiple states; and an identity theft case involving medical benefits.

RUNNER-UP: DETECTIVE JOSEPH LESERRA Detective LeSerra is a senior detective in the Financial Crimes Unit, a Certified Fraud Examiner, and a Task Force Officer with the United States Internal Revenue Service. To date, Detective LeSerra is responsible for arresting various individuals who have cost their victims over one million dollars during the current award year and that number is still growing. He helped crack a Racketeering, Money Laundering and Organized Scheme to Defraud, Illegal Gambling and Illegal Lottery case that led to the discovery of public assistance fraud. The investigation resulted in over 130 defendants who were issued warrants in this case including the seizure of three trucks, more than 100 illegal gambling machines and approximately $270,000 in funds. Other cases included a prostitute who was extorting more than $400,000 from a victim, and a caretaker who was stealing funds from her elderly client. Volunteering in his community, Detective LeSerra coaches a youth flag football team and last year was team captain of the Leon County Sheriff’s Office American Heart Campaign.

The Law Enforcement of the Year Award Dinner is held in conjunction with the 2017 FRF Loss Prevention Conference taking place July 21. This annual event attracts close to 200 of the state’s loss prevention and law enforcement professionals gathered to learn the latest news, trends and technology to help them keep their businesses, employees and their customers safe. Both events are important parts of the 2017 Sunshine EXPO® taking place July 20-23, which also includes the popular EXPO Tradeshow, featuring 2,000 attendees and 350 exhibitors on July 23, as well as a full day of Education Sessions taking place July 22.

ABOUT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER OF THE YEAR PROGRAM The Florida Retail Federation Law Enforcement Officer of the Year program has been an annual event since its inception in 1974. The purpose of the program is to support and encourage outstanding law enforcement work throughout the state, and to recognize the important contributions made by Florida's law enforcement professionals, particularly as it relates to the retail industry. The program’s time-tested campaign theme, "Often taken for granted, they never stop serving ...because they care," remains as relevant today as when the LEOY was first introduced. For more information on the award winners, the event or the LEOY program, visit LEOY section of the FRF website.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers -- the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.

For Immediate Release: July 5, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015

Business-friendly Diaz is the choice in Senate District 40 for Florida’s premier retail industry association

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Retail Federation (FRF) PAC, the state’s premier trade association celebrating its 80th year of supporting Florida’s retailers, today announced its endorsement of Jose Felix Diaz for the Florida Senate. Diaz, a Republican, is running for election in Senate District 40 in South Florida.

“Jose has been an advocate for business and retailing during his time in the House, including supporting legislation that created $500 million in tax relief, and the removal of burdensome regulations on small businesses,” said FRF President/CEO R. Scott Shalley. “We’re confident his support will continue when he’s elected to represent Senate District 40, and we look forward to working with him on future legislation that supports Florida’s 270,000 retailers.”

A native of Miami, Diaz recently served as the representative for House District 116. Jose developed his love for public service as student body president of his high school and college. While at the University of Miami, Jose was selected as Florida's College Student of the Year. Soon thereafter, Jose went on to Columbia Law School where he received several notable distinctions including the American Bar Association’s Silver Key. Upon graduation, he returned to Miami to join the law firm of Akerman LLP, and was appointed to the American Bar Association's legislative body, the House of Delegates.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION
The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers -- the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.

For Immediate Release: June 27, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015

Average per person and total spending on food for cookouts and picnics up from 2016

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Retail Federation (FRF), the state’s premier trade association celebrating its 80th year of supporting Florida’s retail industry, has good news for retailers this Independence Day weekend, with per person spending on food for cookouts and picnics expected to increase from last year with total spending on food nationally to exceed $7.1 billion. The numbers cover only food items, not other holiday-related spending.

“Independence Day weekend is the most popular time for family and friends to get together for cookouts, picnics and celebrations, and these survey numbers portend great things for retailers this year,” said FRF President/CEO R. Scott Shalley. “We continue to see year-over-year increases each shopping weekend in 2017, which shows that the economy is doing well and consumers are feeling confident about their own economic situation and willing to spend more this year.”

According to the annual survey released by FRF’s national partners at the National Retail Federation and conducted by Prosper Insight & Analytics, 219 million Americans plan to celebrate the holiday, or 88 percent of those surveyed. A total of 162 million — 66 percent of those surveyed — plan to take part in a cookout or picnic, spending an average $73.42 per person, up from last year’s $71.34.

The survey found that 65 percent of consumers already own a U.S. flag, 53 percent patriotic-themed apparel such as T-shirts, bathing suits or shoes, and 40 percent own patriotic decorations. Nonetheless, 28 percent plan on purchasing more patriotic items.

When it comes to other activities to celebrate Independence Day, 44 percent of Americans will attend a firework show or community celebration and 14 percent will watch a parade. The holiday weekend is also a popular time for travel, with 32.9 million Americans saying they will head out of town (13 percent of those celebrating), up from 31.1 million from last year. Only 18 percent say the price of gasoline will affect their plans, down from 21 percent last year and a record low since the survey began in 2004. The number who said high gas prices would discourage them from spending for Independence Day peaked at 59 percent in 2008.

ABOUT THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION
The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers -- the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION
As the world's largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, the National Retail Federation's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the U.S. and more than 45 countries abroad. In the U.S., NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2010 sales of $2.4 trillion. www.nrf.com.

Are sales slowing down? Have you had a rough month, quarter or year? While a lot of people are claiming that brick and mortar is a dying business model that's quickly being replaced by e-commerce, this simply isn't true. Your lack of sales has less to do with larger industry trends than it has to do with store-specific issues. Correct these issues and you should be just fine.

5 cost-effective techniques

1. Encourage impulse buys
We've all walked into a store looking for one specific item only to leave with three or four things that we didn't really need. In most cases, this behavior is rooted in impulse shopping.

"The simplest explanation is that some people just derive an enormous amount of pleasure from acquiring something new," consumer behavior psychologist Philip Graves says. "The act of buying is an act of empowerment that may be felt all too rarely in other aspects of life."

As a retailer, you can significantly increase your sales by encouraging impulse buys. The easiest way to do this is by lining up cheap, sensory items in the checkout queue. While customers are waiting, they'll naturally toss things in their shopping carts.

2. Push add-ons
Once you have a customer in the ready state of mind to purchase one product, it's much easier to encourage them to purchase more. One strategy is to have your salespeople push add-ons. These add-ons can come in the form of a discount or special sale, or they can be full-price add-ons if your salespeople are really persuasive.

For example, let's say you're selling a customer a digital camera. In addition to the camera, you could push things like camera cases, memory cards, batteries and extra lenses. Suddenly, instead of just selling a camera for $199, you're selling three or four items for $300.

3. Get people in the door
Your sales numbers are directly correlated to the level of foot traffic inside your store. It's an elementary concept, but sometimes basic logic goes out the door when you're struggling to meet sales goals. If you want to increase sales, get more people in the door.

You can use any number of strategies to get people inside, but it all goes back to grabbing your customers' attention. Try designing clever window displays, placing inventory outside, or having a personable salesperson stand outside and welcome people in. Whatever you can do to get people inside will increase your chances of driving up sales.

4. Offer future-use coupons
If you're looking for cheap ways to drive sales, you probably aren't keen on the idea of using a lot of coupons. However, there is one type of coupon – known as a future-use coupon – that has a low cost and a high return.

As the name suggests, future-use coupons are coupons you give to customers at the time of purchase that are valid for future purchases. The great thing about these coupons is that only a small percentage of people will ever redeem them. So while you may get 15 people to make a purchase because of the coupon offer, only four or five will ever take advantage of the offer at a later date. This allows you to maximize their value.

5. Let customers try
The final tip is to let customers try products. In-store demonstrations, trials and tastings are highly effective methods for driving impulse buys. Sensory exposure goes a long way toward moving customers to action. People see, hear, touch, taste or smell something that they otherwise never would have and feel like they have to purchase the item. READ MORE

BY LARRY ALTON
https://www.business.com/articles/5-ways-to-boost-retail-sales/

For Immediate Release: June 13, 2017
CONTACT: James Miller This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., (850)701-3015

Dads to get showered with gifts in record-setting fashion this year; Meals, clothing, gift cards, electronics and personal care items top the list of popular options

TALLAHASSEE, FL – The Florida Retail Federation (FRF), the state’s premier trade association celebrating its 80th year of supporting Florida’s retail industry, says Florida families will spend more than ever on Father’s Day this year. Consumers are expected to spend an average $134.75 for the holiday, up almost $10 from last year’s $125.92. Total spending nationwide is expected to reach $15.5 billion, the highest in the survey’s 15-year history and almost a billion more than last year.

“I am very encouraged to see that Floridians and families across the country are planning to spend more than ever before to celebrate the special dads in their lives,” said FRF President/CEO R. Scott Shalley. “These results show that Americans are feeling more and more confident and optimistic in this improving economy and dads and retailers can expect to benefit this Father’s Day.”

According to FRF’s partners at the National Retail Federation’s annual survey conducted by Prosper Insight and Analytics, consumers plan to spend $3.3 billion on special outings such as dinner, brunch or other types of a “fun activity/experience” (given by 48 percent). Clothing (given by 46 percent) and gift cards (given by 43 percent) are tied at $2.2 billion each while consumer electronics (given by 21 percent) follow at $1.8 billion. As with Mother’s Day, greeting cards are the most commonly purchased gift at 64 percent but account for only $861 million of projected spending. Other popular gifts include personal care, automotive accessories, books, music, home improvement/gardening supplies and sporting goods.

The survey found 27 percent of shoppers will opt for a “gift of experience” such as tickets to a concert or a sporting event. The largest projected growth category was for “personal care” items such as cologne, razors, aftershave, etc. where spending is expected to be 20% higher over last year.

When searching for the perfect gift, 40 percent of consumers will head to department stores and 34 percent will shop online while 26 percent will shop at a discount store, 24 percent at a specialty store and 19 percent at a local small business. Among smartphone owners, 33 percent will use them to research gift ideas but only 18 percent will use them to make a purchase. Tablets are used more frequently both to research (32 percent) and buy (19 percent).

More than half of those surveyed plan to buy for their father or stepfather (54 percent), while others will shop for their husband (29 percent) or son (10 percent).

ABOUT THE FLORIDA RETAIL FEDERATION
The Florida Retail Federation is the statewide trade association representing retailers -- the businesses that sell directly to consumers. Florida retailers provide one out of every five jobs in the state, pay more than $49 billion in wages annually, and collect and remit more than $20 billion in sales taxes for Florida’s government each year.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION
As the world's largest retail trade association and the voice of retail worldwide, the National Retail Federation's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the U.S. and more than 45 countries abroad. In the U.S., NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2010 sales of $2.4 trillion. www.nrf.com.