Industry Vets Launch National Association of Retail Buyers

By Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 7/17/2009 11:01:00 AM

New York – Souvenir industry veterans Angela Dalby, director of buying for Color Inc./Destination Clothing Company, and Andrew BeauChamp, former director of retail for Destination Cinema and retail manager for Aramark, have founded the National Association of Retail Buyers (NARB), a non-profit organization set up to bring buyers of different types of retail backgrounds–including buyers, wholesalers, retailers, sales representatives, planners and sales–together to share ideas, career and professional development strategies. NARB plans to host formal and informal educational programs, roundtable discussions and networking events throughout the year at industry trade shows, meetings, as well as web-based courses.

The NARB will formally launch during the Las Vegas Souvenir & Resort Gift Show at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Wednesday, September 23. This first membership meeting is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m., and includes a complimentary breakfast and an opportunity to shop the show before the official opening at 9:30 a.m. The fair is scheduled for September 23–25.

“In today’s challenging economic climate, it’s more important than ever for retailers to hone their skills to stay competitive. Informal groups of retailers have been gathering online and at various industry events over the past year and wonderful ideas have come out of these meetings. Through NARB we’re hoping to fill a void in the marketplace with a formal organization that brings retailers together – across many different job responsibilities and industries – to offer a well-defined picture of today’s retail landscape and new ideas that can help all of us succeed,” said Andrew BeauChamp.

The 2009-2010 Board of Directors have been selected and include: Christine Anderson, Bay Retail; Tracy Barlow, HMS Host; Laura Provenzano, Caesars/Harrah’s Entertainment; Michele Flamer, M. Flamer Consulting; Art Phillips; Phillips International dba Jewels; John Drummond, Out of Hand Graphics; Michael Atkinson, A & F Gift & Souvenir; Diana Borcz, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Lisa Shroyer, The Space Needle.

Individual annual membership is $60 and provides access to a number of benefits, including special networking events and exclusive buying times at affiliated trade shows, password protected access to the NARB website and its features, connections to peer professionals, email and instant message discussion forms, discounts on business services and more.

Corporate sponsorships are also available and require a $1,000 fee. This will provide access to NARB’s membership of qualified buyers through mailing lists, inclusion in the Association’s online vendor database, a “storefront” in the NARB online Gift Building, listing in the Member Directory, discounted advertising rates and preferred placement in NARB publications and more. Industry Partner memberships are also available.