Retail Research Center to Hold Industry Conference

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The president and chief executive office of Walmart US, Bill Simon, will headline the Center for Retailing Excellence conference for the retail industry, titled “Retail Nxt, You Can See the Future from Here.”

The center, housed in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, is sponsoring its 10^th annual full-day conference on Wednesday, Oct. 6, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Springdale, Ark. It will feature top retail, marketing and business executives and is designed for members of the retail and vendor industry. For more information and registration, call 479-575-6812 or go to the Retail Nxt Conference website.

“We are very excited to present such an outstanding group of speakers,” said Claudia Mobley, director of the Center for Retailing Excellence. “With ever-advancing technology, connected consumers, a wavering economy and pressures for more environmentally friendly business practices, the retail industry has many opportunities to take advantage of these challenges. Our speakers will address many of these issues and give participants a preview of the future of retailing.”

The “Retail Nxt, You Can See the Future from Here” conference speakers include:

• Bill Simon, president and CEO, Walmart US

• Kevin Roberts, CEO Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi

• Bob McDonald, chairman of the board, president and CEO, Procter & Gamble

• Leon Nicholas, director, Retail Insights, Kantar Retail

• Richard Hastings, customer care executive and consumer strategist, Global Hunter Securities LLC

• Ram Charan, business adviser, speaker and author of Leadership in the Era of Economic Uncertainty: Managing in a Downturn

• Donald White, professor of management, Walton College

• Jim Lecinski, managing director of U.S. Sales, Google Inc.

Saatchi & Saatchi X is the platinum conference sponsor. Gold sponsors include Idelle Labs Ltd. and First Quality. Bronze sponsors are All You magazine and The Smucker’s Company. Walmart, Procter & Gamble, Goodmark USA Inc. and Kantar Retail are speaker sponsors.

A continental breakfast and check-in will be held from 7-8 a.m., with the conference beginning at 8 a.m.

The Center for Retailing Excellence was established in the Walton College in 1998 with a portion of the $50 million endowment from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation and created to bridge the gap between university faculty, students and the retail industry. The center is focused on research and the development of students as future leaders in the retailing and related industries.