Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman visited Berlin retailers Thursday afternoon to promote Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, which ends Saturday. The comptroller was joined by Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance, Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall, Berlin’s Director of Economic and Community Development Ivy Wells and Berlin Town Administrator Mary Bohlen. During Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, shoppers in Maryland can buy qualifying clothing and shoes priced at $100 less without paying the state’s 6% sales tax. The first $40 of backpack sales are also not subject to sales tax. ... Click here to read more about the visit from delmarva now .

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WASHINGTON, July 25, 2024 – The National Retail Federation today presented the 2024 J. Thomas Weyant Award to Cailey Locklair, president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance. Locklair was recognized at NRF’s Retail Advocates Summit , where retailers, industry leaders and policymakers from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., for the retail industry’s premier advocacy event. “Cailey Locklair models excellence in association leadership, and NRF is proud to recognize her as a fierce advocate for the retail industry,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “I began my career at a state retail association, and the record of growth and success by the Maryland Retailers Alliance shows that Cailey and her team work tirelessly, passionately and effectively to create a healthy environment for retailers to operate in Annapolis and throughout Maryland.” The award, named for a former president of the Pennsylvania Retailers Association, was created by NRF in 1995 to honor individuals who devote their careers to leading state retail associations and advocating for the retail industry. Locklair works on behalf of the retail, chain drug store and food industries in Maryland. With nearly 20 years in state and local politics, she has pushed issues regarding the state budget, labor and taxes to the forefront of the Alliance’s advocacy agenda, all while emphasizing the necessity to address retail crime across the state. Locklair is a past Chair of the Council of State Retail Associations and a member of the Leadership Maryland Program Class of 2024. “It’s an honor to be named a J. Thomas Weyant Award recipient. I am proud to represent hundreds of Mayland retailers, their employees and the local communities they serve on a daily basis,” Locklair said. “I look forward to continuing our work at the Alliance to promote a thriving retail industry.” Previous recipients of the J. Thomas Weyant Award include North Carolina Retail Merchants Association President and General Counsel Andy Ellen, Retail Association of Maine President and CEO Curtis Picard, and Nebraska Retail Federation President Jim Otto. NRF’s Retail Advocates Summit brings together retailers of all sizes — ranging from independent local sellers to national brands — to meet with members of Congress and discuss a wide range of issues impacting the industry. This year’s event features The Retail Experience , an interactive showcase designed to highlight the power of the retail industry. About NRF The National Retail Federation passionately advocates for the people, brands, policies and ideas that help retail succeed. From its headquarters in Washington, D.C., NRF empowers the industry that powers the economy. Retail is the nation’s largest private-sector employer, contributing $5.3 trillion to annual GDP and supporting more than one in four U.S. jobs — 55 million working Americans. For over a century, NRF has been a voice for every retailer and every retail job, educating, inspiring and communicating the powerful impact retail has on local communities and global economies. ###

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — With profit margins already razor-thin, many businesses are struggling to survive against a growing wave of shoplifters. The Giant Supermarket in Edmondson Village announced this week that it'll soon close. Last year, Lidl Supermarket in Brooklyn shut down too. While neither publicly blamed theft for their shutdowns, retailers say almost every store is taking a severe hit. "The laws that are on the books are not strong enough to handle what's going on," said Cailey Locklair, President of the Maryland Retail Association. For the eighth time, Locklair lobbied state lawmakers for a measure aimed at stiffening penalties for shoplifters, however, it failed to pass.  Click here to watch the interview with Fox45.

Baltimore (WBFF) — The Maryland Retailers Alliance is pushing for new legislation that would stiffen penalties for shoplifting and thefts. According to the organization, crime at businesses has reached an over $100 billion problem across the country. But as the organization fights for tougher laws, the problem persists. The organization's concerns come just one day after another theft at the A-1 Convenience Store on Joppa Road in Towson. Ali, the store's owner says he's considering shutting down after a string of thefts by mostly juvenile thieves. Cailey Locklair who's president of the Maryland Retailers Alliance--which advocates for over 6,000 businesses across the state--believes a dramatic increase in organized shoplifting crime is threatening the survival of small and large retailers. "That's exactly what will happen. But it's way bigger than that. It (means) higher prices for American consumers. It's less sales tax revenue for our state and our local governments to pay for the things that we all care about," said Locklair. ... In Maryland, $1500 is the threshold for a felony theft charge. According to Locklair, organized offenders simply jump from one region to another staying below the threshold. Locklair is pushing for stiffer laws that would combine offenses to help ensure a felony charge. But so far, she says, proposed bills have failed. Click here to read the full article from Fox45 News .