Business & Government

Retailing Summit Highlights Engaging Experiences, Student Entrepreneurship

October 30, 2017

Aggie TenX12 Start-Up Showcase (left to right) Andy Ellwood ’04, McCalley Cunningham ’18, Juan Zermeno ’17, Saurav Agarwal ’16, and Madison Nicole Robinson ’20
Aggie TenX12 Start-Up Showcase (left to right) Andy Ellwood ’04, McCalley Cunningham ’18, Juan Zermeno ’17, Saurav Agarwal ’16, and Madison Nicole Robinson ’20.
By Kelli Levey Reynolds, Texas A&M University Mays Business School

Texas A&M University’s Center for Retailing Studies (CRS) hosted its annual Retailing Summit on Oct. 12-13 at the Westin Galleria Dallas. CRS is part of Mays Business School.

This year’s conference featured executives from Crayola, Dollar General, GPO, Johnson & Johnson, Nature Nate’s, Poo-Pourri, Root, Signet Jewelers, Walgreens, and Zoe’s Kitchen. A new addition to the Summit included a session with founders of four start-up companies launched by current and former Texas A&M students.

Major themes emphasized throughout the Retailing Summit included:

  • Customer experience as a key to competing with Amazon
  • Investing in people as assets and differentiators
  • The need for companies to be purpose-driven in order to draw attention from Millennials, who want to be part of something bigger

“Through the proceeds from the Retailing Summit, we are proud to support leadership programs and curriculum for our retailing students,” says Kelli Hollinger, Director of the Center for Retailing Studies at Mays Business School. “This conference embodies Mays strategic commitment to developing transformational leaders, students, and executives, who constantly innovate and challenge the status quo.” 

Keeping the customer a priority

Steve Sunderland, SVP of Store Operations for Dollar General, kicked off the first day. He joined Dollar General in 2014 and is currently responsible for overseeing operations in six divisions with more than 7,000 locations covering the southern half of the United States.

Dollar General’s mission is serving others. That mantra includes both customers and their 127,000 associates. The company strategically invested $70 million to hire better talent to improve their store experience. Aptitudes for leadership, will, and attitude are hiring requirements.

Sunderland discussed the company’s efforts of the company to keep stores focused on delivering simplicity to customers. He added, “Standards will not beat out Walmart…but attitudes can.” Dollar General believes customers want clean, in-stock stores, with friendly associates, and efficient processes. The company believes that it’s better to teach someone how to stock a shelf than how to positively interact with people, which usually cannot be taught.

He closed with videos showing company’s commitment to its associates and customers with relief Dollar General provided for Hurricane Harvey victims. The audience was challenged to think about the experience they provide to their associates, concluding that customer experience will only be as good as the associate experience.

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Continue reading this story by Kelli Levey Reynolds on Mays Impacts.

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