Dive Brief:
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Washington-based National Retail Federation has been outspoken in its opposition to raising the national minimum wage, calling it an “anti-job tax.”
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But with the trade group about to name Container Store Group Inc. co-founder and CEO Kip Tindell as chairman, that could change. In fact, he says he wants the group to moderate its view.
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The Container Store, based in Coppell, TX, pays its employees well above industry averages, provides health benefits for many part-time workers, and says it strives for an “employees first” approach to compensation and work environment that it says ultimately benefits the company.
Dive Insight:
Just this Wednesday, Container Store CEO and co-founder Kip Tindell released his book, Uncontainable: How Passion, Commitment, and Conscious Capitalism Built A Business Where Everyone Thrives. His upcoming leadership of the National Retail Federation signals a possible departure for the trade group, which has been steadfast in its opposition to a raise in the minimum wage, insisting such a move could hurt job growth.
Many economists don’t see that line as being so bright, and in fact some retail experts believe that better pay and working conditions for workers ends up benefiting retailers’ performance. Tindell also made news this summer blaming slumping sales on a “retail funk” attributed to stagnant wages — something else that economists say higher worker wages could in part address.
