National Retail Federation’s Economist: Spending Could Grow as High as 11.5 Percent for the Holiday Season
Consumers continue to drive the U.S. economy.
“It seems we are making up for two years of shopping in two months,” said Mitch Gould, founder and CEO of Nutritional Products International, a global brand management firm based in Boca Raton, Fl. “The National Retail Federation is now predicting that spending could increase 11.5 percent compared to the holiday season in 2020.”
Just earlier this year, the NRF had predicted a record holiday shopping season that could see sales jump between 8.5-10.5 percent.
“Despite COVID, despite delta, and despite all of the supply chain problems that have plagued the retail industry, consumers are on a roll,” Gould said. “There are still potential bumps in the road, but the holiday sales season is off to a roaring start, thanks to consumers who seem to be on a buying spree.”
The NRF forecast is welcome news to Nutritional Products International’s health and wellness clients that are looking to launch their products or expand their presence in the U.S.
For more than three decades, Gould has worked with major brands, helping them reach the shelves of retailers across the country.
Gould has matched major product manufacturers and celebrity-branded products with retailers, such as Amazon, Walmart USA, Walmart International, Sam’s Club, Costco, Tree of Life, Albertsons, Walgreens, CVS, 7-Eleven, Target, USA Sports, Vitamin World, Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards.
“It has been quite a career but I am not resting on my record,” Gould said.
Today, Gould and NPI work with innovative health and wellness brands to promote and sell their products in the U.S.
Gould developed NPI’s “Evolution of Distribution” platform, which offers brands professional services, such as sales, marketing, logistics, and regulatory compliance.
“Essentially, we become the U.S. headquarters of our clients, especially the international brands,” Gould said. “We have a veteran team with decades of experience working on behalf of our clients.”
One of many highlights in Gould’s career occurred when he was part of a “Powerhouse Trifecta” that placed more than 150 brands onto the virtual shelves of the then-new health and wellness category on Amazon.
When Amazon decided to expand to sell everything, Gould, Jeff Fernandez, and Kenneth E. Collins worked together to connect major health and wellness products with Amazon.
Gould was the focal point of a “Powerhouse Trifecta” that also included Fernandez, a buyer on the Amazon team stocking the new category with products, and Collins, who was then VP of operations for Muscle Foods, one of the largest sports nutrition distributors in the world.
“Jeff and Amazon needed products to sell and we had the contacts to make it happen,” Gould said.
Gould worked so well with Fernandez that he is now president of NPI and Collins is the company’s executive vice president.
“We guide brands through all the stages of launching a product in the U.S. or expanding their presence here,” Gould said.
For more information, visit Nutritional Products International online.