UA conference draws heavy hitters

By Levi J. Long ARIZONA DAILY STAR Tucson, Arizona | Published: 03.31.2006

http://azstarnet.com/business/122524

Some of the top names in retail were in Tucson Thursday, spotlighting the growing prominence of the UA's Center for Retailing.

More than 250 people — a mix of college business and retail majors, buyers and company executives —attended the Global Retailing Conference, an industry convention sponsored by the University of Arizona's Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing.

Held at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa, 3800 E. Sunrise Drive, the two-day conference covers topics including retail trends in malls, technological developments in retail markets and innovative business strategies to meet global consumer demands.

What started as a relatively small affair 11 years ago, has grown in size and in prominence, said Soyeon Shim, director of the UA's John and Doris Norton School for Family and Consumer Sciences, which includes the center.

"We are creating a retail hub in Tucson," Shim said. She pointed to the retailing center's growing reputation for producing sought-after retail graduates — including some with master's and doctoral degrees from the center — and for new partnerships with retail corporations.

In March, the retailing center announced a new five-year partnership deal with Gateway Inc., providing students with a "Gateway Retail Technology Certificate" and a new multimedia lab expected to open in May. This fall, Dallas-based Neiman Marcus will also send company reps to the school for the first time to recruit for interns and job candidates.

Then there is the big name at this year's conference: fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger. He is scheduled to speak at the close of the conference today, following retail executives Jan de Jong of Microsoft Corp. and Tom McMahon of Starbucks, who spoke Thursday.

"Tucson is being highlighted. Retailers now know where Tucson is," Shim said.

Terry J. Lundgren,, president and CEO of Federated Department Stores and the namesake of the UA's retailing center, gave the keynote speech Thursday. Following the conference's theme, "Innovation's Edge," Lundgren said retailers need not be afraid of change and taking risks.

Lundgren, a UA graduate, engineered the merger last year of Federated and May Department Stores Inc. As a result, the merged company is now blending hundreds of regional department stores, including Robinsons-May, into the Macy's and Bloomingdale's brands.

He said he is not sentimental about the disappearance of names such as Robinsons-May and Marshall Field's.

"I'm not interested in protecting historical names. I'm more interested in protecting the shareholders' value," he said.

The retailing center was renamed after Lundgren in April 2005 after he donated an undisclosed amount to the center. Speakers at the event also appreciated listening to other presenters.

The conference was key in meeting retail leaders and talking to buyers and others working hands-on in the field, said Jan de Jong, a retail industry manager for Microsoft. It was the first time Microsoft, a conference corporate sponsor, had sent a speaker for the retail conference.

"Looking at the brochure, it's amazing to see all of these people," Jong said. "It is outstanding." With its high-profile speakers from a broad range of industries, the conference is giving students a glimpse of their future, said Melinda Burke, director of the retail center.

About 80 students dropped in for sessions throughout the day. Among those who took note of the conference's speakers was Sophie Kropf, 22, a UA senior retail and consumer sciences major. "I appreciated hearing about the struggles and experiences of different people," Kropf said.

She especially enjoyed hearing executives speak about their mentors and about mentoring younger people. "It means a lot for those who are starting out," said Kropf, who was recently accepted into Dillard's executive training program.

? Contact reporter Levi J. Long at 573-4179 or llong@azstarnet.com.