Tracy Mullin se aposenta como presidente da NRF
Autor: Mauricio Morgado | Publicado: 2010-05-07T10:25:00-03:00

 Ontem foi o último dia de Tracy Mullin como presidente da NRF, após 34 anos de trabalho, 14 dos quais à frente da NRF. Veja abaixo a entrevista que deu ao USA Today. Duas curiosidades citadas na reportagem:**O Walmart não é membro da NRF. No início de suas atividades, o próprio Sam Walton teve seu pedido de afiliação negado pela NRF que, na época, representava muito mais as lojas de departamento, pouco interessadas em ter um lojista de desconto entre seus membros. Na ocasião, em represália, criaram uma outra associação, a Retail Industry Leaders Association.**Na vida pessoal, Tracy diz não gostar muito de comprar. Segundo ela seu marido costuma perguntar "Por que você não compra mais?".A entrevista é de Jayne O'Donnell do USA TODAY e pode ser acessada no original aqui.=======================================================National RetailFederation CEOTracy Mullin retires06 May 2010, by Jayne O'Donnell, USA TODAYWASHINGTON — Today's the last in Tracy Mullin's34-year retail career. She's retiring as the 14-yearpresident/CEO of the National Retail Federation,which represents retailers and chain restaurants.USA TODAY met with Mullin recently to talk abouthow retailing has changed, what stands out aboutCongress and the retail industry and why theworld's biggest retailer isn't a member.Q: How has the industry changed during your timeat NRF?A: When I first started in retailing, department storeswere the drivers. They were mostly regional players.Then you began to see the growth of discountstores and specialty stores coming into their own.Then there was tremendous consolidation. Nationalplayers were getting bigger and bigger and, as thatoccurred, a lot of regional department stores gotgobbled up by bigger companies.Today, we don't really have a lot of regional playersin any of these areas. But I think it's good for theconsumer because it has brought down the coststhrough huge economies of scale. Thirty years ago,if a retailer sold out of (a hot item) quickly, theycouldn't replenish it. Or, by the time theyreplenished it, it was no longer a hot item. Now theycan do it in a week, in some cases less.Q: What changes have been the hardest for you tosee?A: We used to have our big conventions and all thebig regional players would get together and chat. Itwas all very congenial. They all wanted to learn fromone another. You don't really see that anymorebecause they're all competing for the sameconsumer dollar. I wouldn't say there is hostility,but in the last 15 or 20 years, it's become a verydifferent environment than it once was.I hate to see any of our members go out ofbusiness. It's heartbreaking, and we've seen a lot ofthem over the years.Q: What's more challenging — dealing withcompetitive retailers or Congress?A: By far, it's Capitol Hill. I started working onCapitol Hill for Senate Minority Leader Hugh Scott(R-Pa.) in the 1970s. He would go out on the floorof the Senate and get into really vigorous debates,and then they would all come back to our office andhave a drink in the afternoon. They'd go out todinner with their wives. The mutual respect is what'smissing up there today. It's really a pity. More and moremembers of Congress are leaving their familieshome because it's a poisonous environment now.Why would anyone want to expose their families tothat?You used to be able to go up to Capitol Hill and finda compromise, to find middle ground between twopolarized points of view. Today, many people don'twant to find middle ground. They want to stick totheir own points of view and, in most cases, it's atthe fringes.Q: Which CEOs stand out from your tenure?A:There are so many. Some retailers who really madea difference include Ed Finkelstein of Macy's. Hecreated Macy's Cellar, which was revolutionary in itsday. He turned what had been a basement into adestination that everyone wanted to shop in. It wasalmost like a French market with a bakery. It's stillthere, but it's not the same.Then there's Marvin Traub, who was a genius as thehead of Bloomingdale's. They would pick a country,and that would be the country they'd focus on for ayear. You'd learn about the products they made, thefood they served. It was really revolutionary,brilliant retailing.Q: Is it true the NRF turned down Wal-Mart?A:The story is that Sam Walton, shortly after he builtthe business, made a pilgrimage to New York tomeet with the then-president of the National RetailMerchants Association (now NRF), which primarilyrepresented department stores. He asked if his littlecompany, Wal-Mart, could become a member ofNRMA, and he was rejected. They didn't want adiscounter there. It was a very homogenousmembership. They all saw eye to eye. I don't knowwhat went into the thinking. It was clearly a badidea.They created a competing organization (now knownas the Retail Industry Leaders Association, which almost merged with NRF last year). Since the '90s,we have broadened our reach dramatically, so we represent chain restaurants, grocery, pharmacy,Internet and specialty stores. We really do representthe entire breadth and diversity of the industry.Q: Except for Wal-Mart.A: We'll get them eventually. It will happen.Q: You have had what many shoppers would thinkis a dream job. Was it?A: It's just fortuitous. I love to shop and love to tellpeople I shop for a living. It's so interesting totravel around the country and the world looking atnew retail formats and new products. But when Itravel, I rarely buy anything. I'm more of a lookerthan a buyer. My husband's always saying "Whydon't you buy more?" God bless him.