The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals

What The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals does

The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals (ARC), operating under the legacy CMA | SIMA brand, is a Chicago-based, U.S.-domiciled nonprofit professional membership association founded around 2005 that serves practitioners in retail, consumer goods, category management, and shopper insights. It claims 20 years of industry authority, a community of over 10,000 members drawn from 275 companies, and primary operations across the U.S. and Canada following the 2023 acquisition of the Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA). Its purpose is to convene, educate, and credential category management and shopper insights professionals through membership, training, certification, events, and content.

ARC's core product surface centers on ARC Campus — a unified content library hub delivering expert whitepapers, playbooks, surveys, and tools across Category Management, Shopper Insights, Space Planning, and Retail Health — supplemented by 55+ training courses and a three-tier certification program. Supporting offerings include ARC Advisors consulting, private networking groups, the ARCast podcast, the Retail Unfiltered speaker series, regional ARC Summit Series events, Mix & Mingle networking, and the flagship annual CMA | SIMA Conference. ARC also operates a Solutions Marketplace connecting members with retail technology vendors such as Datasembly, VideoMining, RELEX, and NIQ.

ARC generates revenue through three primary streams: recurring corporate and individual membership dues, event and conference registration fees, and training/certification fees. Go-to-market is community-led, combining direct membership sales (corporate and individual self-serve), content marketing via blog and newsletter, organic social (LinkedIn, YouTube), webinars, and in-person events. Sub-brands include ARC Campus, ARC Advisors, ARCast, and Retail Unfiltered, while operating divisions include CMA | SIMA and the wholly owned RDBA subsidiary serving retail dietitians.

Name

The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals

Legal name

The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals

Website

https://catman.global

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals is a Chicago-based nonprofit membership association serving over 10,000 retail and consumer goods professionals across 275 companies with training, certification, content, events, and a solutions marketplace.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAAAOAF

Certification & Training Providers (Wilderness First Aid, Lifeguard, Guide Training)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Educational Adventure Programs (Outdoor Education, Skill Development)

Keywords

• Category management association
• Shopper insights training
• Retail professional membership
• Industry certification programs
• Consumer goods networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Association generates revenue through corporate and individual membership subscriptions providing access to resources, events, and community
2. Event Registration: Revenue from annual conferences, regional events, webinars, and networking sessions
3. Training and Certification: Professional development programs including 55+ training courses and 3 levels of certification

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

ARC is a professional membership association that delivers category management and shopper insights resources, training, certification, events, and advisory services to retail and consumer goods professionals. Members access the ARC Campus content hub, 55+ training courses with 3 certification levels, an annual CMA|SIMA Conference, regional summits, networking groups, and a solutions marketplace connecting them to retail technology vendors.

Product overview

The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals (ARC) operates primarily as a membership-based professional association rather than a software product company. ARC provides a unified platform centered on ARC Campus (an all-access content hub), supported by professional development services including Training & Certification (55+ courses, 3 certification levels), ARC Advisors consulting, and a Solutions Marketplace connecting members with solution providers. The association facilitates community building through events including the annual CMA|SIMA Conference, ARC Summit Series, Mix & Mingle networking events, and Retail Unfiltered live speaker series. Content offerings include ARCast podcasts, whitepapers, playbooks, surveys, and industry research on topics like omnichannel strategy and wellness trends.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARC Campus: All-access hub for Category Management, Shopper Insights, Space Planning and Retail Health content and resources.
• ARC Advisors
• ARCast
• Retail Unfiltered

Products and services

• ARC Campus An all-access hub providing a unified content library of expert whitepapers, playbooks, surveys, and tools for Category Management, Shopper Insights, Space Planning, and Retail Health professionals.
• ARC Advisors Consulting and advisory services providing strategic guidance from a team of experienced advisors to retail and consumer goods member organizations.
• Training & Certification Professional development program offering 55+ industry-specific training courses and 3 levels of certification for category management and shopper insights professionals.
• Solutions Marketplace Marketplace connecting members with solution providers offering retail technology, analytics, and consulting services, including vendors such as Datasembly, VideoMining, RELEX, and NIQ.
• ARC Summit Series Regional summit events bringing together retail and consumer goods professionals for targeted networking and learning.
• Mix & Mingle Casual networking events facilitating connections among category management and shopper insights professionals.
• Annual CMA|SIMA Conference Annual flagship conference bringing together the category management and shopper insights community for industry learning and networking.
• Job Postings Career services platform connecting employers with qualified category management and shopper insights professionals.
• Private Networking Groups Exclusive peer learning groups enabling professionals to connect and share insights within targeted communities.
• Corporate Membership Tailored corporate membership packages providing team-wide access to ARC Campus content, training, certification, events, and networking for retail and consumer goods companies.
• Individual Membership Self-serve individual professional membership providing access to ARC Campus content, training, certification, and networking for personal career development.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 10,000 members from 275 companies
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Retail Dietitians Business Alliance (RDBA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 January 2023ARC acquired The Retail Dietitians Business Alliance from Phil Lempert of Consumer Insight. The acquisition aims to expand ARC's efforts in supporting registered dietitians working within the grocery and retail sectors across the U.S. and Canada. RDBA was founded in 2012 and brings professional community building capabilities for retail dietitians.
• Phil Lempert (Consumer Insight)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 January 2023Founder of Retail Dietitians Business Alliance, Phil Lempert sold the RDBA to ARC. Phil Lempert operates Consumer Insight and is a recognized expert in consumer and retail trends.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RetailConsumerProfessionals
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/category-management-association

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about The Association of Retail and Consumer Professionals