The Retail Industry Leaders Association has announced a partnership with the National Cyber-Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA) to enhance cybersecurity information sharing and expand retailers' proactive and vigilant approach to cyber threats to protect consumers against criminals.

The threat of cyber-attacks is all too common, so the Retail Industry Leaders Association is launching an initiative to combat them.

Advocates for a level playing field between traditional brick-and-mortar retailers and their online-only competitors are celebrating the implementation of "sales tax fairness" in California. Last week, online-only retailers, such as Amazon.com, began collecting state sales tax in California.

Congress has moved one step closer to closing a decades-old loophole that has given online retailers an artificial competitive advantage over their brick and mortar competitors with hearings on the Marketplace Equity Act (HR 3179).

In a letter sent today, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) urged the International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance Ltd. to reach a contract agreement well in advance of the September 30 deadline in order to prevent a disruption to the flow of goods and the lasting economic affects that would result.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association welcomed Mexico as a negotiating partner in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The TPP is a prospective regional free trade agreement among Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Vietnam and the United States.

As Panama continues to grow and invest in infrastructure, RILA is keeping a sharp eye on the new opportunities emerging for retailers. According to a recent RILA member survey, 59 percent of retailers reported that their supply chains include distribution to and from Latin America, and 58 percent consider entering or expanding Latin American operations in the next five years.

Following the announcement by President Barack Obama and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement will enter into force May 15, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) said the benefits of the pact will be huge.