Retail Industry Leaders Association

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) is American trade association headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. RILA represents more than 400 retailers and manufacturers in the United States.

History

RILA was started in 1969 by Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart Stores. Walton thought that the National Retail Federation (NRF) was controlled by department store executives, and that the NRF didn't adequately represent big box discount stores like Wal-Mart. The organization was orginaly named International Mass Retail Association (IMRA); in early 2004, the organization's board of directors voted to change its name.

In April 2007, The Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Network, set up by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, RILA, and the NRF, began operation. Law enforcement and loss prevention specialists can use the database to track and identify retail theft nationwide through a secure Web portal.

Pending merger

In April 2009, RILA and NRF announced that they would merge. NRF, based in Washington, DC, has AbOUT 100 employees; RILA has a staff of about 30. The process is expected to be completed by summer 2009, after both NRF and RILA go through a due diligence process. The boards of directors of both associations must recommend the merger, and members of both groups must approve it.

The combined association, yet to be named, will be run during the transition by RILA President Sandy Kennedy. Kennedy said in May that she envisioned a smaller staff, of about 75, after the merger was fully completed.

Leadership

The President of RILA, since December 2002, is Sandy Kennedy. The current chairman of RILA, Robert A. Niblock, chairman and chief executive of home improvement retailer Lowe's, was first elected to that position in January 2008.

External links

• RILA website
• Official Merger Resource Portal for NRF-RILA merger