Heading the Field’s

The May Department Stores Co. (St. Louis) has announced that Linda Ahlers, president of its newly acquired Marshall Field’s division (Minneapolis), will retire effective Dec. 31, 2004. Frank Guzzetta, currently president and ceo of the company’s Hecht’s/Strawbridge’s division (Washington, D.C.), will replace her effective Jan. 1, 2005.

Robert Soroka, currently chairman of May’s Los Angeles-based Robinsons-May division, has been named to the new position of chairman of Marshall Field’s, effective Oct. 4, 2004.

Robert Harrison will succeed Soroka as chairman of Robinsons-May. He is currently the division’s senior vp and cfo.

“Linda Ahlers has been a terrific partner and leader during these early crucial months of Marshall Field’s transition to May,” said May chairman and ceo Gene Kahn. “Her passion for Marshall Field’s — its heritage, merchandising, guests, and team members — is unwavering. Her open, candid, and welcoming style has facilitated the transition of Marshall Field’s into May. She will continue to actively guide the transition during the next three months.”

“Gene Kahn and Bill McNamara [vice chairman] have supported me throughout the transition process and have encouraged my continued leadership,” Ahlers said. “This made my decision very difficult. However, with important decisions being made at Marshall Field’s, it is time to begin an orderly transition by bringing in the leadership that will carry our organization into the future.”

Guzzetta joined Hecht’s/Strawbridge’s in 1988 as a divisional vp and dmm. In 1990, he was promoted to senior vp and gmm, and in 1998 was named executive vp, merchandising. He was named president and ceo of Hecht’s/Strawbridge’s in 2000. Prior to joining May, he spent 11 years at Woodward & Lothrop (Washington, D.C.).

Soroka joined May Co. in 1976 at O’Neil’s, the company’s then-department store division in Akron, Ohio. He was named senior vp and cfo for Robinsons-May in 1990 and was named chairman of the division in 1996. Harrison joined May in 1986 as an analyst at the Kaufmann’s division (Pittsburgh) and became senior vp and cfo for Robinsons-May in 2002.

Ahlers, 54, has been in retailing her entire career, beginning with H.C. Prange Department Stores of Wisconsin (Green Bay, Wis.). She joined Target Corp. (Minneapolis) in 1977 and held a variety of management positions prior to being named executive vp of merchandising at the company’s Marshall Field’s department store division in 1995. She was named president of Field’s in 1996.