Intercollegiate Retail Challenge 2007-2008

The mission of the aspire2retail Intercollegiate Retail Challenge is to build awareness of diverse career paths in retail by engaging university students in a competitive, collaborative role play with support from retail executive mentors to implement a multi-tiered business strategy. Read more.

The Winning Team

Team Ecolize, led by Melinda Burke of the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing at the University of Arizona, delivered the winning solution to
the panel of judges on January 3, 2008.

Participating Universities

• University of Arizona, Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing
• University of Florida, Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research, Warrington College of Business
• Florida State University, The Center for Retail Merchandising and Product Development
• University of Michigan, Ross School of Business
• Wharton University of Pennsylvania, Baker Retailing Initiative
• University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Retailing Excellence

Challenge Overview

The Scenario: You are part of a team at a leading home improvement store. Numerous customers have been asking about green products and management agrees that this is a long-term, viable area of business that the company should address. Your main competitor has already begun to sell environmentally friendly products and to make changes in its stores to indicate its commitment to sustainability, but you want to bypass them to take the leadership position.

Your stores carry a few products in different categories -- for example; light bulbs, insulation, flooring and energy efficient appliances that are green but it is not widely known that they exist.

The concept of sustainability is permeating the thinking in various areas within your company. Management has made it clear that they want to see your company as a leader in the green movement by
setting good examples both internally and externally.

The Challenge:

• To design, brand, market and advertise, place and price a line of herbicides, fungicides and fertilizers for trees, shrubs, plants and flowers that are eco-friendly.
• Ascertain which of the products you already carry are eco-friendly and make them readily identifiable on store shelves.
• Create incentives to appeal to your market and encourage customers to use your green products.
• Develop a plan to educate store personnel as to which are green products, how to sell them,
  when to sell them and why to sell them.
• Integrate green concepts into your new store design, and identify programs for retrofitting existing
  stores to make your company a better custodian of the planet and a leader in sustainability.

Retail Executive Mentors:

• Kevin Curry, VP Retail for Safeway Northern California, Safeway
• James Damian, SVP, Experience Development Group, Best Buy
• Harry Eng, VP, Facilities Management and Environmental Services, Wal-Mart
• Nicole Maile, Product Development, Crate & Barrel
• John Ross, VP, Advertising, The Home Depot
• Ric West, DVP, Promotion & Production, Sears

Challenge Judges:

• Roger Anderson, Director, Retail Learning, The Home Depot
• Dennis Franklin, VP, Talent Acquisition
• Christopher Hollins, VP, Retail Industry Strategic Relationship Group, American Express
• Leslie Kourlis, Director, Executive & Corporate Recruiting, JC Penney
• Kathy Mance, Executive Director, NRF Foundation
• Neil Stacey, Divisional VP, Operations, PetSmart
• Jim Viola, SVP Organizational Effectiveness, Saks
• Wendy Wade, Sr. Director, Leadership Development & Performance Management, Best Buy

Challenge Scenarios and Previous Winners

• 2011-2012 Challenge Scenario
• 2010-2011 Challenge Scenario and Winning Team
• 2009-2010 Challenge Scenario and Winning Team
• 2008-2009 Challenge Scenario and Winning Team

The aspire2retail Intercollegiate Retail Challenge is sponsored by American Express.