The National Retail Federation and the Retail Industry Leaders Association have decided to end merger discussions.
“NRF and RILA will devote all resources to continuing the work they are each doing to address the serious issues that America’s consumers and retailers are facing in today’s economic environment,” said the two boards of directors in a joint statement.
The two groups announced their plans to merge several months ago and create a single trade association to represent the retail industry in Washington, DC. The merger process was expected to be completed this summer. At the time, Mullin also announced her retirement, which has now been postponed.
RILA represents the largest retailers operating in the US across all segments while the NRF membership ranges from the largest retailers to single store operators.
