May to Have New VM VP, Wider Aisles

The May Department Store Co. (St. Louis) has named Steve Nelson senior vp of stores and visual merchandising, a new position for the company. He will report to May's two vice chairmen, Richard W. Bennet III and William P. McNamara, effective October 1. Nelson is currently is senior vp of stores for Filene's, May's Boston-based department store division,

The company said Nelson will work with May's store divisions to “develop a more product-driven presentation of merchandise in the stores; ensure consistency of compelling selling-floor presentations; strengthen the visual merchandising thrust across all divisions; lead the effort to create a 'faster and easier'shopping experience; and work with May Design and Construction to refine new store and major remodel plans.”

The corporate visual merchandising function, headed by vp Joseph Consolo, will report to Nelson, but Mary Morgan, senior vp of store company administration and merchandise research, will continue to report to Bennet and McNamara.

“Steve will take the lead to ensure that our merchandise presentations are both authoritative and exciting,” said McNamara, “and that the 'big ideas'are given the attention they deserve and are presented with impact.” “Steve is a talented executive who brings 30 years of store and merchandise presentation experience to this important new position,” added Bennet. “His leadership and expertise will be invaluable as we work diligently to improve our merchandising thrusts and presentation techniques.”

Nelson started with Foley's, May's division headquartered in Houston, in 1971as a sales manager in textiles. He was named a store manager 10 years later, and became vp of stores in 1983. In 1990, he was named senior vp of stores and visual merchandising for the former G. Fox division, and in 1993 was named senior vp of stores for Filene's. He later became Filene's senior vp of human resources and labor relations before assuming his current position in 1998.

Among Nelson's first large jobs might be spearheading renovation of the entire 430-store chain for greater disability access. The retailer just settled a class-action settlement with Access Now Inc., a disability-rights group from Florida. May has agreed to get rid of long tablecloths within a year; to lower the height of showcase tables to three feet within 18 months; and to widen aisles to fitting rooms and restrooms within three years. The proposed settlement would cover all May's store divisions but would exclude the 45 Robinson-May stores in California because of a pending suit filed by another disability-rights group, Disability Rights Advocates of Oakland, Calif. Access Now initially sued only Lord & Taylor, but reached an agreement for class-action status during negotiations, said Edward Resnick, president of Access Now.

Ron Lospennato of the Disabilities Rights Center in New Hampshire said the settlement lets May off “very lightly, and doesn't take into consideration either the conditions in other states or the specific mandates of the American with Disabilities Act. Lospennato's group is suing three Filene's stores in New Hampshire.

“It's important to note that our policy is and has been to provide accessibility for our disabled customers,” May said in an official statement. “The steps we are taking represent a continuation of our commitment to customers with disabilities.”

Josh Konecky, a staff attorney for Disabilities Rights, said he was concerned that the in-store changes will be monitored only by store managers. And if the judge agrees to the settlement, all suits against May's divisions will be dismissed (except the Disability Rights group's suit). “It allows them to do very, very little and to buy peace everywhere,” said Konecky. “It's our judgment that May can do much more.”

May's settlement comes a year after Disability Rights Advocates of Oakland won a suit against Macy's West's downtown San Francisco store, also allowing easier access for disabled shoppers. Macy's West is a division of Federated Department Stores (Cincinnati).