The National Retail Federation is the largest retailer association in the world, and its members include retailers, retailer-related suppliers, service providers, retail associations and retail-related associations in the United States and around the world. In order to promote the free exchange of information among retail trade associations around the world and seek opportunities for cooperation in research and education, in 200 1 year, the American Retail Federation formed the International Retail Forum (IRF) with its members of retailers' associations and retail-related associations abroad.
Retail associations participating in international retail forums naturally become members of the American Retail Federation. Different from other members of the Federation, members of the International Retail Forum do not need to pay any membership fees, but enjoy all the rights and interests of associate members of the American Retail Federation, such as various free monthly magazines, and enjoy preferential activity fees when participating in the activities of the American Retail Federation.
The International Retail Forum requires its members to actively participate in the activities of the Forum. Before 2005, the International Retail Forum only held a general meeting once a year for the exchange of managers of retail associations in various countries, and this meeting was held at the same time as the annual meeting of the American Retail Federation. Starting from 2005, the International Retail Forum will increase its annual meeting to twice. Except June 5438+ 10, it will be held simultaneously with the annual meeting of the American Retail Federation. Members will decide the time and place of the second meeting through competitive voting. The second meeting in 2005 was hosted by the Austrian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WKO) in Austria in June165438+1October. This year's second meeting is scheduled to be held in Shanghai, China on September 23rd (in parallel with the 2006 China Retailers' Congress and China International Retail Expo), sponsored by China Business Federation (CGCC).
The International Retail Forum is an international forum organization directly related to the American Retail Federation. In September 2003, it was renamed as the Executive Forum of the International Retail Association. At the same time, a system of forum members taking turns as chairmen through election was established; The rotating chairman association is responsible for the schedule of the annual forum meeting; The American Retail Federation still serves as the secretariat of the forum.
Before the annual meeting, any member who intends to become the chairman of the forum can put forward his intention to run for election, and after voting by all member associations, the chairman of the forum is elected for a term of one year. In 2005, Mr Xavier Durieu, CEO of European Ministry of commerce, was elected as the chairman of the forum, and his term of office lasted until the first meeting in 2007.
All foreign retail associations in the United States can become members of this forum. At present, the organization has nearly 40 members of retail associations and retail-related associations. There are retail associations in Taiwan Province Province and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The activities of the forum are organized and operated by the International Operations Department of the American Retail Federation (composed of the Federation President, the Vice President of Industry Relations and the Director of the International Operations Department).
In June, 2004, June, 2005 and June, 2006, President He Jihai of China Chamber of Commerce attended the senior management forum of the International Retail Association held in new york for three consecutive years. From June 5th to 10, 2005, Zhang Shuping, Vice President of China Business Federation, attended the Austrian Conference.
The main topics of the recent "International Retail Association Senior Management Forum" focus on: the development trend and outstanding problems of the retail industry in the countries (regions) where the member units are located; The development of retail technology (such as the innovation and application of RFID technology); International free trade (tariff and anti-dumping cases); The problems existing in the settlement method of credit card in each member country (region); The relationship or contradiction between retail industry and other industries; Regulation of market growth.
Some members of the Senior Management Forum of the International Retail Association: American Retail Federation, China Business Federation, European Business, International Department Store Association, Australian Retailer Association, Mexican National Department Store Association, Slovak Wholesale and Distributor Association, British Retail Federation, French Food Enterprise Forum, Brazilian National Retailer Union, Italian Businessmen and Shopkeepers General Union, Finnish Business and Trade Union, Colombian National Business Union, German Retail General Association, Japanese Retailer Association, Canadian Retail Council, New Zealand Retailer Association, etc.