About the National Retail Planning Forum

• The National Retail Planning Forum (NRPF) is a registered charity formed in 1995 which combines a focus for improving understanding between private and public sectors on planning and its impact on retailing together with a strong research programme. A membership-based organisation, the Forum is specifically not a lobbying organisation. Drawing as it does on local and central government, the private sector and the academic arena, the Forum aims to act as a bridge between the different interests involved in retail planning.
• Forum meetings are held two or three times a year with presentations from experts in the retail planning field and the opportunity for informed debate. Around 40 senior representatives are invited to each event ensuring a high quality exchange.  Recent meetings have dealt with: International City Centre Comparisons, Lessons from Merry Hill/Brierley Hill, RDA strategies and the Planning Green Paper.
• To reach a wider audience, seminars are staged on key issues.  It is the practice of NRPF to seek partners for such events. This has led to collaborations with BERR on future retail research needs and the Royal Statistical Society on National Retail Statistics. A joint event was staged with RTPI to launch the Bibliography of Retail Planning and associated Commentary, both now included in the Retail Planning Knowledge Base.  Joint events have also been staged with LGA, RICS and BRC. The research output of NRPF will be a particular focus for future seminar events. 
• The NRPF Research Group commissions studies on issues of interest to retailers, investors, developers and planners.  The studies are not only intended to further research but also to generate debate between the Forum's membership and also be useful in the development of retail planning policy at the national level.  Research is carried out involving Forum members, DCLG and LGA together with appropriate commercial and academic bodies.
• The NRPF Research Group also publishes 'Occasional Papers'. These are studies usually by organisations in Forum membership.  Whilst they are not commissioned by NRPF, they have been discussed by the Research Group and are considered of value in promoting discussion and disseminating interesting work.
• A Newsletter is produced by NRPF to disseminate the work of the Forum and to encourage an exchange of views between retail planning practitioners.  Reviews and News of other research projects and future NRPF events are also featured.
• The Forum is seeking to establish a network of local government contacts and professionals from other disciplines to share in the work of NRPF.  The Web Site has been created for the same purpose.  Regular updates of the Retail Planning Knowledge Base (initially funded by BCSC as the Bibliography of Retail Planning) are available on the web site as are summaries of other NRPF research documents.
• The current members of the NRPF are:
  • BCSC
  • The Co-Operative Group
  • Grosvenor
  • John Lewis Partnership
  • Lend Lease
  • The Local Government Association
  • The National Association of British Market Authorities
  • Planning Officers Society
  • Tesco
  • Westfield
• For information about this site contact info@nrpf.org.uk