Dive Summary:
- The National Retail Federation gained a powerful member this week with Wal-Mart joining the trade association half a century after founder Sam Walton first attempted to gain membership and failed.
- Wal-Mart's presence will bring added clout to the NRF in Washington. D.C.
- A different relationship almost took shape in 2009 when the NRF was slated to merge with the Wal-Mart-backed Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), but differences over issues including healthcare caused the deal to fall apart.
From the article:
"... t’s too early to tell whether Wal-Mart joining the NRF will lead to the two sides talking in harmony on healthcare, but the retail industry has many other interests in the policy debates occupying Washington, from immigration reform to labor laws and the growing push for a federal law on sales taxes charged by online retailers. ..."
