WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business have launched the NRF Business of Retail Initiative, a multi-million-dollar collaboration designed to elevate retail studies and foster innovation in one of the world’s largest industries.
Funded by a $6 million endowment from NRF, the initiative will establish the first-ever National Retail Federation Chair in Retail Studies, the NRF Summit, two NRF MBA Fellows, and dedicated research grants focused on shaping the future of retail.
“We were inspired to partner with Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business due to its esteemed reputation among academics, researchers, elected leaders, policymakers and influential figures in Washington, D.C., and globally,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of NRF. “By combining Georgetown’s academic excellence with NRF’s industry expertise, this partnership will produce long-lasting research and results, elevate the significance of retail studies and help shape the future of retail.”
The initiative will explore critical issues transforming the industry, including artificial intelligence, personalization, logistics, customization, frictionless commerce, and emerging forms of agentic shopping, where AI agents act on behalf of consumers.
Leading the program are Kelly Lee, assistant teaching professor of marketing at McDonough, as program director, and Luc Wathieu, professor of marketing, as research director.
“We are pleased that the National Retail Federation has found a home in the McDonough School of Business, providing a generous gift to create the NRF Business of Retail Initiative,” said Paul Almeida, dean and the William R. Berkley chairman of the McDonough School of Business. “This new initiative will work alongside our existing centers and initiatives to expose our students to new retail concepts in a key sector of the global economy, open doors to new career opportunities, and empower our community through impactful programming to do well and do good — here at Georgetown and beyond.”
The NRF Business of Retail Initiative will also align with McDonough’s Business of Sustainability Initiative and its AI, Analytics, and the Future of Work Initiative, fostering collaboration on events, career development, and research that connects academic insights with real-world retail practice.
NRF, which represents the largest private-sector employer in the U.S., said the partnership underscores retail’s role as a driver of innovation, opportunity and economic growth, supporting more than 55 million jobs and contributing $5.3 trillion to annual GDP.
To learn more about the initiative, visit businessofretail.georgetown.edu.
