Christian Davies at StoreXpo

Christian Davies, vp, creative director, FRCH Design Worldwide, has been added to the program for StoreXpo 2003, VM+SD's Winter Market conference and trade show Dec. 5-7, 2003, in New York.

Davies, who spoke before a standing-room crowd at VM+SD's International Retail Design Conference in September in Miami Beach, will talk about “The Elastic Brand: Retail Evolution in a Time of Change.”

It will be a portfolio-free hour of pop culture, consumer products, evolutionary theory and retail case studies from around the globe demonstrating why some brands thrive, while others just survive. “As the traditional definitions of markets, consumers, and cultures shift in today's global economy, I'll be studying the tools and techniques that brands can employ for surviving as the fittest against a backdrop of retail Darwinism,” Davies said.

“The premise I am working on is a study of brands that have successfully adapted to their markets over time as those markets and consumers have shifted,” he added. “I'll be using case studies like Timberland and Coach. And I'll also be looking at those that have made mistakes pursuing the same goal and why.” Davies mentioned The Gap and Eddie Bauer as possible candidates for his discussion.

Davies is scheduled to speak at 3 p.m., Friday, December 5, at the Javits' River Pavilion. Other speakers on the program include: Pamela Fields, senior vp, worldwide consumer products licensing, Playboy Enterprises, who will discuss “Playboy: Still a Hot Brand at 50” on Friday at 10 a.m.; Michael Cape, vp, director of visual merchandising and store design, J.C. Penney Corp., who will talk about “The Renaissance of Visual Merchandising and Store Design: Are You Ready for It?” on Saturday, December 6, at 10 a.m.; and Melissa Hoffman, vp, business development, Fitch:Worldwide, who will discuss “The Boutique Approach to Department Stores” Saturday at 3 p.m.

There will also be a reception on Friday at 5 p.m. in the Javits Center's Exhibit Hall honoring winners of the second annual New York Stores of the Year; and a “Toast to the Season” at the Exhibit Hall at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Exhibit Hall hours will be 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Scheduled showroom hours are 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, though some individual showroom companies might vary those hours.

Shuttle service will be available on Friday and Saturday between the Javits Center and the showrooms.

For more information and to register for StoreXpo, go to www.storexpo.info. Hotel discounts are available online. For exhibiting opportunities, contact Jennifer Robinson at 800-925-1110, ext. 367, or at jennifer.robinson@stmediagroup.com.