NRF & Georgetown Launch $6M Retail Initiative
The National Retail Federation (NRF) and Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business have joined forces to launch the NRF Business of Retail Initiative. This collaboration aims to elevate retail studies and shape the future of the industry through long-lasting research.
The initiative, backed by a $6 million gift from the NRF, will establish a chair in retail studies, host a summit, and fund MBA fellowships and research grants. It will focus on contemporary challenges such as personalization, logistics, artificial intelligence, and 'agentic' shopping.
Led by the NRF, the leading authority for the retail industry, the initiative will be directed by Kelly Lee, assistant teaching professor of marketing, and Luc Wathieu, professor of marketing. It will also collaborate with existing academic areas at McDonough, such as the Business of Sustainability Initiative and the AI, Analytics and the Future of Work Initiative.
The NRF Business of Retail Initiative is set to transform retail education and research. By combining Georgetown's academic excellence and NRF's industry expertise, it will produce lasting insights and empower the retail industry to tackle modern challenges.
