For Immediate Release
February 3, 2005

LANSING — More retailers are offering retirement benefits to employees, but fewer are paying 100 percent of their employees’ health care benefits, compared to two years ago. Overall, statewide average retail salaries remain close to what they were in 2002.

Those are among the findings of the latest Michigan Retailers Association Survey of Retail Salaries, Wages and Benefits. Anderson Economic Group and Mitchell Research, both of East Lansing, conducted the survey in late 2004 for MRA.

The 2004 survey is MRA’s third—previous surveys were conducted in 2000 and 2002. MRA plans to sponsor the survey every two years to track trends in Michigan’s retail industry.

The decreases in health care coverage continue a trend that was also found in 2002 and occurred in every employment category except buyers.

"The decline in the number of retailers that pay full health care benefits is not surprising, given the continued increasing costs of health care," said James P. Hallan, MRA president and chief operating officer. "Although small market insurance reform was achieved in 2003, the full benefits of the legislation will take longer to be felt widely in terms of stabilized rates."

The increase in retirement benefit offerings suggests that retailers want to improve their benefits package in a more affordable manner.

The survey—designed to help retail owners compare their employee compensation to others in the industry—covers salaries, wages, commissions and bonuses, health insurance, dental insurance, 401(k) plans, vacation days, sick days and merchandise discounts for a wide range of retail employees. It breaks down results by region, store size and job category.

Five hundred MRA member retailers participated in the study. The full report of the findings is available from MRA for $75 to members and $125 to all non-members. To order, contact Retha Lachance at 800.366.3699 or rlachance@retailers.com.

The Michigan Retailers Association is the unified voice of retailing in Michigan and the nation’s largest state trade association of general merchandise retailers. MRA’s nearly 6,000 retail business members operate more than 13,000 stores across the state.