North Carolina Retail Merchants Association

What North Carolina Retail Merchants Association does

North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1902 and headquartered at 209 Fayetteville Street, Raleigh, NC. It serves as the statewide advocacy and member services body for the North Carolina retail industry, representing a membership of 2,500 retailers operating 25,000+ stores that collectively account for 75 percent of North Carolina's retail sales volume. The organization serves the full retail spectrum, from multi-state chains to local independent stores across antique, apparel, grocery, hardware, pharmacy, and other categories, with Andy Ellen serving as President and General Counsel and Steve Ashworth serving as Chairman of the Board.

NCRMA's product portfolio is a bundle of member services rather than a unified technology product. The core offerings include (i) a government relations and lobbying function with exclusive member access to the NC General Assembly; (ii) an Association Health Plan with no minimum employee requirement; (iii) referral to a workers' compensation program delivered through the 25-year partner First Benefits Insurance Mutual (the 20th largest workers comp carrier in NC, insuring over 2,100 NC businesses); (iv) the Carolinas Organized Retail Crime Alliance (CORCA), a law enforcement-retailer coalition co-created in 2016; (v) the ShopNC consumer-facing marketing campaign and member directory; (vi) a member resource library; and (vii) the Retail Consumer Alliance Foundation scholarships (twelve $2,500 awards annually). Supporting infrastructure consists of a YourMembership-based member portal and standard web properties, with no disclosed proprietary technology stack.

NCRMA operates a subscription-based revenue model funded primarily by annual membership dues, supplemented by revenue from sponsored programs and events. It is governed by a board of retail industry professionals and is not owned by any parent or institutional investor. The association maintains a working staff of 11-50 employees and pursues a community-led go-to-market focused on direct membership recruitment, government relations outreach, and the ShopNC consumer campaign. Recent strategic activity signals incremental expansion through deeper regulatory partnerships (e.g., the January 2026 alliance with the NC Department of Labor's OSH Division), joint advocacy with the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association on swipe-fee legislation, and annual economic forecasting with the Appalachian State University Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis.

Name

North Carolina Retail Merchants Association

Legal name

North Carolina Retail Merchants Association

Website

https://ncrma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1902

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North Carolina Retail Merchants Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade association founded in 1902 in Raleigh, NC, providing advocacy, lobbying, and member services (health plan, workers' comp, retail crime prevention, ShopNC campaign) to 2,500 retail members operating 25,000+ stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Raleigh

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: NCRMA generates revenue through membership dues from retail businesses across North Carolina. The association represents over 2,500 retail members with stores representing 75 percent of North Carolina's retail sales volume.
2. Member Services and Programs: Revenue generated through member services including the Association Health Plan, workers compensation program (via First Benefits Insurance Mutual partnership), and other member benefits programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

NCRMA is a nonprofit trade association that provides advocacy and member business resource services to retail businesses in North Carolina. It offers government relations and lobbying before the NC General Assembly, an Association Health Plan, a workers' compensation insurance program (via First Benefits Insurance Mutual), organized retail crime prevention services through CORCA, a member Resource Library, the ShopNC consumer promotion platform, and scholarships through the Retail Consumer Alliance Foundation.

Product overview

North Carolina Retail Merchants Association (NCRMA) is a nonprofit trade association organized in 1902 that serves as the voice of the retail industry for North Carolina. Rather than offering a unified technology product, NCRMA provides a portfolio of member services including: ShopNC (a consumer-facing retail promotion platform), Association Health Plan (health insurance for members), Government Relations/Lobbying (legislative advocacy), Retail Crime Prevention Services (including CORCA), Resource Library access, and the Retail Consumer Alliance Foundation scholarships. The association represents over 25,000 stores representing 75 percent of North Carolina's retail sales volume, serving both large chains and small independent retailers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Retail Consumer Alliance (RCA): The charitable arm of NCRMA that awards scholarships to students of member retail employees. Awards twelve $2,500 scholarships annually.

Products and services

• ShopNC A consumer-facing platform that promotes shopping at North Carolina retailers, featuring a directory of member stores, shop-local campaigns, and social media engagement (#ShopNC).
• Association Health Plan Health insurance plan offered exclusively to NCRMA retail members, with no minimum employee requirement, providing affordable coverage options for small retailers.
• Retail Consumer Alliance Foundation (RCA) Scholarships Charitable foundation offering $2,500 scholarships to employees of retail members, with twelve scholarships awarded annually to high school seniors and college students.
• Retail Crime Prevention Services Includes the Carolinas Organized Retail Crime Alliance (CORCA), legislative advocacy for ORC laws, and resources to combat organized retail theft and money laundering.
• Government Relations / Lobbying Lobbying team that advocates for the retail industry before the North Carolina General Assembly, with exclusive member access to legislative support.
• Resource Library Member-exclusive portal containing the Retailer's Handbook, How to Comply Documents, Case Studies, and other resources accessible through the YourMembership Portal.
• Workers' Compensation Insurance Program Workers' compensation insurance program for NCRMA members provided via partnership with First Benefits Insurance Mutual, the 20th largest workers' compensation carrier in North Carolina.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• North Carolina Department of LaborcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance Agreement between the North Carolina Department of Labor (NCDOL), through its Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Division, and NCRMA. Announced by Labor Commissioner Luke Farley in January 2026. The partnership focuses on workplace safety and regulatory compliance for retail members.
• First Benefits Insurance MutualcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner25-year partnership providing workers compensation insurance to NCRMA members. Originally created as North Carolina Retail Self Insurance Fund in 1992, converted to mutual insurance company in 2008. Now the 20th largest workers comp carrier in North Carolina with over 2,100 insured NC businesses.
• Carolinas Organized Retail Crime Alliance (CORCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlliance created in 2016 between law enforcement, retailers, and partners to combat retail theft crime in North and South Carolina. CORCA focuses on bridging communication between law enforcement and retailers and offering secure methods of capturing content between different agencies. Complimentary membership for NCRMA members.
• Curtis MediaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStatewide radio campaign partnership launched April 2020 with public service advertisements urging consumers to Shop Smart and ShopNC.
• North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCRLA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint advocacy partnership for legislation including House Bill 650 on swipe fees and alcohol law reforms. Collaboration on shared retail and hospitality industry concerns.
• Appalachian State University Center for Economic Research and Policy AnalysisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual economic forecasting partnership providing holiday season and back-to-school retail sales projections for North Carolina. Published reports include 2025 holiday season (strongest growth in four years) and 2025 back-to-school sales forecast of $84.5 billion.
• Retail Consumer Alliance Foundation (RCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCRMA's charitable foundation that awards retail scholarships. Awards 12 scholarships annually of $2,500 each ($30,000 total) to employees of NCRMA retail members. Has awarded over $130,000 in scholarships to NC communities.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Retail Industry Leaders Association: National retail industry advocacy organization representing leading retail brands; highly comparable to NCRMA as a membership-driven retail advocacy body, albeit at the federal level rather than state level.
• National Retail Federation: The national trade association for the U.S. retail industry, providing advocacy, education and member services to retailers across all categories — the same role NCRMA plays at the state level in North Carolina.
• American Apparel & Footwear Association: National trade association for the apparel and footwear industry providing advocacy, compliance and member services — closely analogous membership/advocacy model, though category-specialized rather than state-level.

Broad incumbents

• Food Marketing Institute: Trade association serving food retailers and wholesalers with advocacy, education and member services — a larger, category-specific retail association with overlapping membership-based services.
• International Council of Shopping Centers: Global trade association for the shopping center and retail real estate industry, providing advocacy, education and member services to retail property stakeholders — comparable membership-driven trade association serving the retail ecosystem.
• National Grocers Association: National trade association representing independent grocers and wholesale distributors, offering advocacy, education and member benefits — comparable retail trade-association model with similar recurring revenue and lobbying focus.
• NACS (National Association of Convenience Stores): National trade association representing the convenience store and fuel retailing industry, offering advocacy, research and member benefits — a broader retail-sector association with overlapping advocacy and member-services capabilities.

Regional players

• Florida Retail Federation: State-level retail trade association in Florida providing advocacy, education, and member services to retailers — directly comparable operating model to NCRMA in a different state.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/NCRetail
• Instagraminstagram.com/shopnclocal
• Xx.com/NCRMA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-carolina-retail-merchants-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Carolina Retail Merchants Association