Table of Contents
By David Pinto
As rapidly as America’s retailing community is maturing (Aging? Evolving? Stagnating?) so too is the trade association community that supports and occasionally leads it. Against that background, the feeling here is that the time has come to reassess the many roles that retail trade organizations perform today — and how they might update and upgrade that performance to remain critical to the various retailing enterprises they support and, hopefully, lead.
As background, let’s redefine the various roles trade associations perform in today’s retailing world. On paper, there are several, foremost among them is the lobbying effort these organizations perform, sometimes very capably, in presenting and endorsing the retailing view of things before the various federal, state and local bureaucracies that make and enforce the policies and practices retailers must, and often do, adhere to.
The feeling here, however, is that the most critical service retail associations provide is the indispensable function of bringing buyers and sellers together. Consider: Isn’t that what retailing is all about? What determines which products retailers ultimately sell — and, hopefully, consumers end up buying? If you believe these two questions qualify for yes answers, you’ve earned an invitation to the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores. If you’ve answered these two questions negatively, that’s more reason yet to attend the NACDS Annual Meeting.
Now that we’ve settled the issue, the time has come to evaluate the retail trade organizations on their ability to provide that service. The feeling here is that two remain unsurpassed in providing that function: NACDS and FMI – The Food Industry Association. Investing time, energy and money in either organization will provide more than a fair return on your investment.
However …
The debate doesn’t end here. Rather, it begins here. In recent times two other retail associations have emerged as deserving of a second or third look. The first is the National Retail Federation. Those retailers and suppliers who have of late come to its gathering in New York City each January have invariably departed the event richer and more knowledgeable than when they came.
The second organization worth a new look is the Consumer Electronics Association that holds an annual gathering in Las Vegas each January. Forget the venue. The meeting, from all recent accounts, is spectacularly important. And productive. At any rate, it won’t hurt to have a look. Or a new look.
Certainly it’s true that there are other trade associations serving the retailing community. But it’s equally true that most of them still have some learning to do if they are to effectively serve their membership — and, in time, rival the four organizations previously noted.
To end on a bright note, today’s retail trade associations in the main are far more important, and more valuable, than they have ever been. So, the time has truly come to reevaluate them in light of today’s needs — and tomorrow’s challenges.
