NRF

If the crowded show floor at this year’s National Retail Federation (NRF) event was any indication, things are looking up for tech this year. For the first time in years, I had to wade through masses of bodies to get to my appointments, as attendance was up some 27 percent, according to NRF figures.

Fujitsu last week expanded its North American retail market portfolio to deliver end-to-end technology solutions, introducing new IT infrastructure services that join Fujitsu POS and store management systems and custom business intelligence (BI), enterprise resource planning (ERP), software as a service (SaaS), and supply chain management (SCM) integration solutions.

Brian Strickland, divisional VP of market strategy and business development research at extreme value retailer Family Dollar will discuss market basket analytics during a session this morning at the National Retail Federation’s 2010 Conference & Expo in New York City.

According to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2009 Holiday Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by Worthington, Ohio-based BIGresearch, holiday shoppers plan to spend slightly less on gift cards, with the average person spending $139.91, compared with $147.33 last year.

Live from the Show Floor captures interviews of exhibitors demonstrating their latest products and services via streaming video. This powerful interactive showcase enables you to experience the excitement of the tradeshow floor while gathering valuable information, all from your desktop.

The Retail Orphan Initiative (Retail ROI), a Nashville, Tenn.-based charitable foundation established to help the 400 million orphaned and vulnerable children worldwide, plans to launch its first research and networking event, which will take place at National Retail Federation’s 2010 event in January.

Parents and students won’t skimp on college school supplies this year. However, back-to-school spending for grade school children is expected to experience a steep decline, according to the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 2009 Back-to-School Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by Worthington, Ohio-based BIGresearch.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) and the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) said yesterday that the two organizations have discontinued merger discussions.