The National Retail Federation and the South Carolina Merchants Association will hold a Retail Education Event with U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., next week. The "meet and greet" event will be held from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., Tuesday, April 22, at the Columbia Place Mall, 7201 Two Notch Road, Columbia, S.C., in the first-level Center Court area. News coverage is invited.
"This event is being held to help South Carolina retailers cement their relationship with their new senator and for those who don't already know Lindsey Graham to establish that relationship," NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations Steve Pfister said.
"Senator Graham had a strong pro-jobs, pro-economy record in the House of Representatives and we are confident that he will continue and build upon that record in the Senate. He is a lawmaker who understands the importance of the retail industry, which represent two-thirds of consumer spending and is the engine that keeps our economy going. Retailers employ one out of every five American workers and there are many other jobs behind every product on the shelf. With Lindsey Graham's help on important business issues, our industry can continue to provide American consumers with the products they want at the prices they can afford."
Tuesday's event is being held in cooperation with the South Carolina Merchants Association. Graham will speak, then answer questions from retailers from across the state. It is the third in a series of events NRF is holding with new members of Congress across the country, following events April 15 in Mobile, Ala., with Representative Jo Bonner, R-Ala., and April 16 in Burnsville, Minn., with Senator Norm Coleman, R-Minn.
The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF members represent an industry that encompasses more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, employs more than 20 million people - about 1 in 5 American workers - and registered 2002 sales of $3.6 trillion. NRF's international members operate stores in more than 50 nations. In its role as the retail industry's umbrella group, NRF also represents 32 national and 50 state associations in the U.S. as well as 36 international associations representing retailers abroad.
For more information, visit http://www.nrf.com
