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Show The Enterprise Review , October 20 , 1976 Page 3b Interview with R. Wayne Bentley by Dean Alsup Review Sta ff Writer A seasoned retailer for 41 years. R. Wayne Bentley is known to Salt Lake merchants as more than just the manager of JC Penney 's downtown stores. President of the Retail Merchants Association, he is a virtual storehouse of knowledge having begun his career Review: Retailers depend on the fourth quarter, the to Christmas quarter, bring them the years high- est sales. Despite the fact that consumer spending has with JCP at the age of 17. Over half of Bentley's years with the company have been spent in managerial positions. From his post in the citys heart. Bentley commands a formidable share of the industry s sales. Sitting behind a richly grained walnut what they produce. If they So our company produced make it, somebody will buy jeans made of the same it. But manufacturers dont material, same stitching and same durable quality for a really have the last say. much Consumers do. The concheaper price. sumer determines sales and Review: Because meeting consumer demand has become so critical, top level management in some stores, especially large retail chains, has assumed the job of buying. Has your store, or the JC Penney Company, made buying the responsibility of company hierarchy? Its not a question of how well you order stock, but how fast you can get your stock switched. fallen off nationally, how are you approaching the final quarter of 1976? Bentley: Business has been a little soft with the auto strike and a few things, but we look for a very big quarter this Christmas season. We havent followed the rest of the nation in prices by what he buys and in what quantities its like voting. Thats why it is very important to listen to what your customers tell you. For example, we knew that our customers wanted a pair of jeans that were cheaper than the Levi brand, but durable and attractive. Bentley: Unlike many specialty shops, the JC Penney Company doesnt have buyers in the various stores. Our buyers are located in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Miami as well as abroad in Japan and Europe. At a local level, at this store for example, we order from a list of thousands of items made available to us through desk, the retail wizard sits, with crystal ball in hand, forecasting consumer buying trends, styles, and habits. One crisp fall morning he sat down for a casual interview with the Utah Enterprise Review . Herewith, he shares some of his insight. our Our local buyers. "buying then, if you want to call it that, is done by seven people. This is a management team that includes the merchandisers from every department. Top management is also involved in making some decisions, but most of the buying or ordering is done by department heads. Nationally we have a buying staff of thousands. These people are on the job every day of the year. They arc constantly keeping up with styles and trends and they arc in the fashion capitals of the world. Large retailers, like us, are usually way ahead of the smaller retailers like the speciality shops when it comes to fashion and style. Review: Utahns first advertising agency wants you. We are interested in acquiring growth-oriente- in the following fields: Appliance Distributor Dairy Department Store Drug Chain rast Tooil Chain' Furniture Retailer Furniture Manufacturer Grocery Chain Industrial Product Manufacturer Industrial Product Distributor Moving Continued on Page 6b Public Utility Radio w Television Station Salt Lake City Hotel Soft Drink Bottler Shopping Mall Ski Resort Sporting Goods Retail Chain Tourist Attraction battery which has been phenomenal. strategies for this quarter? Do you foresee any shortages or overstock of certain items? In the retail Bentley: business, it is not a question of how well you order stock, but how fast you can get your stock switched. Fortunately, our inventory has been in line all year, but we quite often have to make stock corrections due to style changes. Retailing is a very fast moving business and merch- andisers make mistakes quite often, so we're always trying to balance merchandise that is because customers arent predictOur customers are able. harder to predict than they are to please. Review: Why are consumers so hard to predict? Bentley: Manufacturers can determine what the consumers will buy merely by and Storage Company National Hotel Chain How do you consumer spending trends our sales were up last quarter when most other retailers' were down or even. Two reasons for our success were the CB ratio craze and the new JC Penney lifetime Review: Are you planning any special inventory accounts d If your type of business is listed above, like to talk to you. 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