Retailers Hope for Passage of INFORM Act

The National Retail Federation has issued a statement urging support in Congress for inclusion of the “Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces (INFORM) for Consumers Act,” in the year-end congressional omnibus legislation.

The retail group’s senior vice president of government relations, David French, issued this statement:

“On behalf of the retail industry, we are extremely pleased negotiators included the INFORM Act in the omnibus package, and we look forward to passage in Congress this week.

“The INFORM Act will bring transparency to online marketplaces by requiring them to verify the identities of high-volume third-party sellers. Doing so will help curb the fencing of stolen merchandise and address the sale of counterfeit goods, which are common tactics of organized retail crime (ORC) groups.

“NRF’s 2022 National Retail Security Survey found that retail shrink, when taken as a percentage of total retail sales in 2021, accounted for $94.5 billion in losses last year.

“While ORC can vary in scope and scale, the common denominator is that the activity is a coordinated, organized effort. These criminal rings operate sophisticated enterprises that aim to ransack retailers and sell illegally obtained merchandise for profit, endangering both employees and consumers.

The NRF says it has long supported meaningful legislation to curtail the danger and destruction caused from these criminal activities. “We applaud Congress for passing this important measure before the end of the year,” French added.

NRF has been a vocal advocate to pass legislation that helps curb the threat of organized retail crime. The trade group has led industry-wide efforts, including a successful grassroots campaign, in support of both the INFORM Act and the Combatting Organized Retail Crime Act.