Best of the Web

  • Some free information (profiles, ratings, news) and some fee-based (full reports) for US and international companies searchers must register to access data

  • The American Apparel & Footwear Association was formed in August 2000 through the merger of three trade associations: the American Apparel and Manufacturers Association, Footwear Industries of America and The Fashion Association. The site has industry news, consumer information and statistics.

  • ApparelSearch.com is a business to business online database to the apparel/textile industry, including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers, freight companies, customs, warehousing, quality standards, education/training, trade shows, publications, model agencies, news, and employment.

  • A portal of industry links classified by associations, organizations, search engines, factories, production services, employment and news.

  • Online directory for cosmetic supplies, services, and resources.

  • Publisher of The Cosmetics Ingredient Review, reviews and assesses the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics and publishes results in peer reviewed scientific literature.

  • Statistical reports on domestic industries from the U.S. Census Bureau.

  • Good industry data from Euromonitor under Facts and Figures, re member agencies also lists of other associations and institutions

  • The site features on online database of over 1,000 fragrances, searchable by company or fragrance name, a bibliography of industry reference sources, and interviews with leading professionals in the field.

  • The International Association of Food Industry Suppliers is a 90-year-old global trade association of more than 600 members that supply the food, dairy, beverage and related sanitary processing industries.

  • The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) is the global trade association of the shopping center industry. Its 60,000 members in the U.S., Canada and more than 80 other countries include shopping center owners, developers, managers, marketing specialists, investors, lenders, retailers and other professionals as well as academics and public officials. As the global industry trade association, ICSC links with more than 25 national and regional shopping center councils throughout the world.

  • Links to all III publications and websites includes industry facts, statistics and directory of insurance organizations

  • Good industry statistics under Insights and Research tab

  • The National Retail Federation's global membership includes retailers of all sizes, formats and channels of distribution as well as chain restaurants and industry partners from the U.S. and more than 45 countries abroad.  In the U.S., NRF represents the breadth and diversity of an industry with more than 1.6 million American companies that employ nearly 25 million workers and generated 2009 sales of $2.3 trillion.

  • From the U.S. Department of Transportationprovides statistics on transportation and the economy transportation and safety energy and the environment

  • The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is replacing the U.S. Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) System. It categorizes all types of business and manufacturing in the U.S. according to a numerical code. This Government site provides further explanations and links.

  • Lists of industry directories available at the Science, Industry and Business Library

  • This site provides industry and product information as well as suppliers.