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THE NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION The National Retail Federation today welcomed the Federal Reserve’s decision to allow larger midsize businesses hit by the coronavirus pandemic to participate in its $600 billion Main Street Lending Program, a move that was proposed by NRF earlier this month.
“Expanding eligibility for this program will provide much-needed support for some of America’s most recognizable brands and their workers, who have been severely impacted by the pandemic,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “Access to financial relief should be available to businesses of all sizes, but many midsize businesses were left out of the CARES Act relief package. Today’s announcement will close that gap and ensure that companies in the middle can access valuable economic support critical to preserving their ability to reopen quickly once the crisis has passed.”
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Importance of America’s Main Streets and Their Small Businesses Highlighted By COVID-19 Crisis4/24/2020 NATIONWIDE  Independent We Stand asks the public to vote online, determine semifinalists for $25K cash prize
With more than 616,000 total votes cast for 160 entrants during the nomination phase of the 2020 America’s Main Streets contest, Independent We Stand is pleased to announce the quarterfinalists and the next phase of the contest. The goal of the contest is to draw attention to Main Streets throughout the country and their small businesses that not only provide a sense of place in our cities and towns but also play a large role in the lasting success of local economies. Ensuring the survival and vitality of our Main Streets is important now more than ever before, as the nation stays home to prevent the spread of COVID-19. INTERNATIONAL MARKET CENTERS 3 Week Online Event Offers Buyers Product Discovery and Virtual Connections
New Catalog Connexion Provides Robust Tools for Sourcing and Lead Generation Following High Point Market Authority’s cancelation of the Spring 2020 High Point Market, International Market Centers (IMC) has announced the launch of “IMC High Point Virtual Market,” a three-week-long online experience that will feature product discovery and digital connections. These offerings, which include the debut of a new Catalog Connexion sourcing tool, as well as a series of pop-up virtual market events, will run on IMC’s High Point Market website from May 11 through May 29. “While we know that we cannot replace the value of physical markets, we also realize there is a real desire and need for the industry to connect virtually right now,” said Bob Maricich, IMC CEO. “We hope this new market will help bridge the gap in the home furnishing industry’s sourcing and shopping calendar by creating a digital experience that provides knowledge, practical business tips, and a platform for sourcing and discovery, as well as a much-needed sense of community.” PCBC Thank you for your patience and understanding during these last few weeks as we worked through the difficult decision to cancel this year’s show. The outpouring of support and encouragement that we have received from exhibitors and attendees has been heartwarming and we want you to know how much we appreciate being part of this great homebuilding community.
We know you will have many questions about what the cancellation of the show means for you and we have tried to address those questions in our Frequently Asked Questions webpage. On behalf of PCBC, the California Building Industry Association and Leading Builders of America, we hope to see you next year at PCBC 2021, June 16-17 in San Francisco. Until then, our hearts are with all of you and your families. INTERNATIONAL MARKET CENTERS Results will inform market planning and be made available to industry at-large
International Market Centers (IMC) today announced a survey of 200,000+ home furnishings, gift and apparel buyers that will result in a real-time representation of the state of the industry during the COVID-19 crisis. As part of ongoing support of the retail, design and wholesale communities as they work toward recovery, IMC has committed to making the results available to the industry as a benchmarking and planning tool in addition to using the results to inform its own summer and fall market planning. “With our expansive buyer base, we have the ability to get a true pulse of the industry right now,” said Bob Maricich, IMC CEO. “Through our markets and market centers in Atlanta, High Point and Las Vegas, we have a critical mass of buyers of diverse location, size, product mix and longevity that presents us with a unique opportunity to create a tool that will be of great value to the industry as it looks forward.” IMC’s survey has four goals: to assess the current retail climate in terms of business operations, product sourcing and consumer sales; to understand how market-makers, vendors and sales agencies can best support the retail community during recovery; to inform market planning through year-end by understanding health and safety concerns and travel sentiment; and to explore the utility of digital tools – both B2B and B2C – for sourcing and selling. The survey will be distributed to buyers via email beginning today. IMC has commissioned Stax, an independent global strategy consulting firm with more than two decades of experience providing actionable, data-driven answers to clients' critical strategic questions, to administer the survey and tabulate responses. Results of the initial benchmarking survey, which will be analyzed by region, category interest and business type, are expected in early May 2020 and will be available, in aggregate, to the gift, home furnishings and apparel industries by June 1. Over the next six months, IMC also plans a regular series of follow-up surveys to track the pace of recovery. “In this unprecedented time, we are all looking for answers. Our hope is that through this survey, we can bring some clarity to the current situation and allow for better planning not just for IMC, but for the manufacturers, sales agencies, retailers and designers who make up our industry,” adds Maricich. “We believe that recovery is something we should and will approach together, and we are proud to support our industry as we look towards the future.” Information about IMC’s markets is available online via these links: Atlanta Market / Atlanta Apparel / AmericasMart: AmericasMart.com High Point: IMCHighPointMarket.com Las Vegas Market / Las Vegas Design Center: LasVegasMarket.com |
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