The Voice of Retail in Maryland

Member Resources

We advocate for the retail community, provide cost-saving opportunities and benefits, and keep our members up-to-date on the latest news impacting businesses in Maryland.

Learn More

Legislative advocacy for Maryland retailers at the state and local level remains our number one job.

Learn More

Our cost-saving benefit partners, offering deals exclusive to MRA members, will put money back in your pocket.

Learn More

In The News

Discover the latest news about Maryland Retailers Alliance and industry updates.

September 30, 2025
ANNAPOLIS, MD – Maryland’s new organized retail theft law takes effect this week, setting the strictest standards in the region and defining organized retail theft in State statute, authorizing statewide data collection, and expanding the applicability of felony penalties by allowing related thefts to be aggregated across county lines. The bill, championed by the Maryland Retailers Alliance, was introduced in Annapolis for almost a decade before it finally passed earlier this year. The proposal gained traction in recent years as retail theft cases have increased exponentially since the COVID-19 pandemic, destabilizing retail stores in many communities and resulting in closures of stores due to high losses. Maryland’s high felony theft threshold, commercial port in Baltimore, and proximity to multiple interstate highways has historically provided an ideal environment for perpetrators of organized theft. “This law is a game-changer for retailers in Maryland,” said Cailey Locklair, President of the Maryland Retailers Alliance. “It finally gives law enforcement and prosecutors the ability to treat organized retail theft as a serious crime that impacts safety, public health, and access to goods in our communities.” Federal data shows that organized theft is a funding mechanism for other illicit activities including the drug trade, money laundering, and even human trafficking and transnational crime. Organized rings often take advantage of vulnerable individuals to commit retail theft of specific high-value items like laundry detergent, personal care items, baby formula, and copper wire. By allowing charges for related crimes committed across jurisdictions to be joined, the new law puts a stop to criminals’ ability to strategically travel between multiple counties to avoid the state’s $1,500 felony theft threshold and provides the tools needed for law enforcement and prosecutors to target high-level theft rings. “With this new law, Maryland will no longer be ground zero for organized retail crime,” said House sponsor Delegate Karen R. Toles. “So many of my constituents have expressed concerns about this issue, and starting October 1 st , this law will be a tool to hold perpetrators accountable and undoubtedly have a lasting positive impact on businesses and communities across Maryland.” The law, signed as Chapter 192 , takes effect on October 1. ### Media Contact: Cailey Locklair clocklair@mdra.org | 317-397-1918
September 29, 2025
ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Retailers Alliance (MRA) last week presented its annual awards for legislative advocacy and retail theft prevention. The presentation occurred virtually and was streamed on YouTube. The awards celebrate individuals who exhibit outstanding public leadership, advocate for the success of the retail business community, and support the mission of the MRA. The following awards were presented during the virtual stream: Maryland Retailers Alliance Legislator of the Year: Delegate Karen Toles, District 25 Maryland Association of Chain Drug Stores Advocate of the Year: Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk, District 21 Louis L. Goldstein Service Award: Marshall Klein, Klein’s ShopRite Maryland Retailers Alliance Retail Theft Prevention Award: Kyle Graser, Target “Thank you to every single elected official who listened to our concerns, worked with us, sponsored amendments, and supported us on these very important issues,” said Cailey Locklair, MRA President. “Thank you to our members, the retail industry and many businesses that are the backbone of our communities. Lifting your voices up and helping solve problems to ensure your businesses can thrive – it truly is an honor.”  The Annual Awards presentation also highlighted MRA’s Legislative All-Star Team, members of the legislature whose actions throughout the legislative session support the success of the organization. About MRA : The Maryland Retailers Alliance is a statewide membership association representing retail businesses of all shapes and sizes throughout Maryland. As the retail community’s major trade association, MRA is a diverse and broad-based organization covering all segments of the retail industry.
August 25, 2025
As excerpted from The New York Times : Inflation is up and job creation down, but the U.S. economy could still pull through without too much pain. At the moment, the American economy feels a little bit like a hot August afternoon. The air is heavy and still, as lightning flashes on the horizon. The storm could sweep through and leave destruction in its wake. It could set in for a brief drizzle. Or it could pass by in the distance, and take its fury elsewhere. In this very humid metaphor, the electricity in the sky is the steep tariffs that President Trump has now imposed on most goods coming into the United States. It’s also his strict immigration curbs, mass firings of government employees and the pullback in government spending. Economists have been waiting for that multifaceted storm system to start showing up in the economic data. The signs are now unmistakable, but the severity of the impact remains unclear. --- Plenty of indicators suggest inflation and the labor market are headed in the wrong direction. After slowly sinking back to close-to-normal levels, price growth has sped up again, particularly in categories of goods that are heavily imported and now steeply tariffed. A measure of wholesale prices jumped to the highest level since November 2022. Spending has held up, particularly among higher-income consumers, according to credit card data analyzed by Bank of America. But that could be an illusion, as people pay more for the same items, or stock up to get ahead of tariffs kicking in. Cailey Locklair, the president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, said her members had noticed customers accelerating their purchases to take advantage of discounts and sales tax holidays, knowing that price increases are probably around the corner. “Shoppers are very uncertain about what tariffs could mean,” Ms. Locklair said. “Because of this uncertainty in the market, consumers were spending a lot more in July to start back-to-school early, to mitigate some of this.” Click here to read this article from The New York Times .
August 18, 2025
As excerpted from The Baltimore Banner : Kids grow fast and that becomes evident during back-to-school shopping season when parents have to replace pants that now land well above the ankle or shoes that are too tight. But this year, parents are being a little more frugal as they replace too-small clothes along with pencils, crayons and folders crushed at the bottom of book bags decorated with cartoon characters that kids may or may not even like anymore. “Those concerns surrounding inflation and the impact of tariffs are causing consumers to be a little bit more budget conscious,” said Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance. “That’s really what’s impacting some of this spending.” Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman said President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs , which she characterized as effectively being additional sales taxes for consumers, were particularly ill-timed for families and back-to-school shopping. She said she’s spoken to several retailers who are raising their prices now because they can’t continue to eat costs. And many school supplies cost at least 20% more today than they did pre-pandemic. Advertise with us “It’s not just that parents and families feel like prices are higher now,” Lierman said. “They actually are higher now.” This year, parents and others who care for children are more likely to shop around for the best deals and break brand loyalty — bye, Crayola crayons; hello, Cra-Z-Art. And they’ll be digging for cheaper items at both big box retailers and secondhand stores. They’re also increasingly keeping just the basics in their carts, which they started filling earlier in the summer to take advantage of deals and spread out spending. They can expect to say these things a lot more: “No,” “Put that back,” and “I don’t care if your friend got it, we’re sticking to the list.” Maryland merchants aren’t bracing for any major spending declines, said Locklair, who represents big and small retailers across the state. Still, stores are offering deals or matching prices of competitors to reach parents who are getting pickier with their dollars. Click here to read the full article from The Baltimore Banner .
August 18, 2025
The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.
August 6, 2025
As excerpted from The Baltimore Sun : Grocers and food policy researchers are sounding alarms that looming federal food stamp cuts could gut store revenues, trigger layoffs and shutter local independent stores. The changes to the federal food stamp program — officially called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program or SNAP — could potentially cause about 3,800 SNAP state retailers to experience a downturn in the next few years and affect hundreds of thousands of Marylanders’ ability to afford groceries. The program cuts passed in the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” grocers say, could cause their customers to lose their eligibility, limit their spending power and harm vulnerable communities. Supporters, however, said the law promotes work and program integrity. In fiscal year 2025, Baltimore City had, on average, about 147,300 participants in SNAP, according to June 2025 Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) . About 693,5000 Marylanders, or 11% of the population on average , receive SNAP monthly. In fiscal year 2027, Maryland’s share of administrative costs for SNAP will increase from 50% to 75%. ​In fiscal year 2028, the state will pay for SNAP benefits depending on its “error rate,” or how much it over- or underpaid on benefits in past years. Pedro Silva is one of those grocers whose business could struggle when the new law starts being implemented. He opened Tex-Mex Corner Deli & Grocery three years ago in the Highlandtown neighborhood in Baltimore, where SNAP recipients can purchase food with their EBT card. Now, he worries that the incoming cuts will slash his profits because he estimates 30% of his sales are from SNAP. --- Maryland’s “brick and mortar shops,” like Silva’s store, would feel the greatest impact of the changes, said Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance and Maryland Food Industry Council. Local grocers already work with a low profit margin of 1% to 3%, Locklair said. If they see fewer consumers and money coming in, it would drastically affect their bottom line and their ability to stay open. “It’s very, very alarming and very concerning for many retailers,” Locklair said. Click here to read the full article from The Baltimore Sun .

1948


advocating since 1948

5,000+


active member businesses

$67.8BILLION


retail's direct impact on Maryland's GDP

500,000+


retail jobs in Maryland