Arnold Zetcher, chairman and president/CEO of apparel retailer Talbots, has been elected chairman of the National Retail Federation, the country's largest lobby for retailers.
He was elected to a two-year term, succeeding Gordon Segal, CEO of furnishings retailer Crate & Barrel, Chicago. The appointment was made through a unanimous vote yesterday at the board of directors meeting during NRF's 93rd Annual Convention and Expo.
Launched in 1947, Talbots sells women's apparel in classic styles through 900 stores, by catalog and via a site at www.talbots.com. Zetcher was named company president in 1987, CEO in 1988 and chairman in 2000. Talbots is based in the Boston suburb of Hingham.
Other executives elected to the Washington-based NRF's board of directors included:
· Chris McCormick, president/CEO of L.L. Bean Inc.
· Mary Forte, president/CEO of Zales Corp.
· Walter Loeb, president of Loeb Associates
· Richard Last, senior vice president of JCP eCommerce L.P.
· Elaine Rubin, senior vice president of strategy and business development at 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. and chairman of the NRF's Shop.org
· David Dworkin, president of Swoozie's LLC
· Phil Kowalczyk, managing director of the consumer products division at Kurt Salmon Associates
· Nicolas Zuk, assistant secretary and general counsel of White Castle Systems Inc.
