Browsing: Retail News

The Zoo & Aquarium Buyer’s Group (ZAG) was started in the late 1980s by a group of buyers who met annually at the Smoky Mountain Gift Show in Gatlinburg, TN. Participation has now grown to over 350 members, with Donna Steakley as board president.

Read More

A strong December retail sales reading indicates that the economy is moving forward at a nice pace, despite arrant jobs numbers released last Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the Census Bureau, retail and food services sales rose to $431.9 billion in December, up 0.2 percent from November 2013 and 4.1 percent from the same period in 2012.

Read More

U.S. small businesses hired the most workers in nearly eight years in December, according to The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Small business owners added an average of .24 workers per firm last month, the most since February 2006.

Read More

The deadline for high school seniors to apply for the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Young Entrepreneur Foundation scholarships is January 6, 2014. Each year, the NFIB Young Entrepreneur program offers non-renewable scholarships that recognize young people who have demonstrated entrepreneurial spirit and initiative with college scholarships ranging in value from $1,000 to $10,000.

Read More

Small businesses can claim a larger tax benefit for providing health care to employees in 2014 as a result of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. For tax years 2010 to 2013, the maximum credit was 35 percent of premiums for small businesses, and 25 percent of premiums for tax-exempt organizations.

Read More