Paving The Way For Retail In Washington

By Brian Dodge, Sr. Executive Vice President, RILA

Retailers’ challenges remain, but continued emphasis on public policy and regulatory reform efforts will help retailers face economic and political threats.

The old saying that “The darkest hour is just before the dawn” is perfectly suited to describe the past year for retailers. At the beginning of 2017, the retail industry faced countless economic and political threats. Breathless predictions of the death of retail and the prospect of a 20 percent tax on all imported goods were just two of many dark clouds that hung over the industry. However, by year’s end, the story was quite different. A successful holiday shopping season and the passage of comprehensive tax reform helped force wind into the sails of retailers navigating their course into 2018 and beyond.