Great Store Performance: From Illusion to Reality

For some retail leaders, intense competition and changing shopping patterns have created a radical rethinking of strategic focus. This has resulted in a fundamental shift from the traditional emphasis on the 4-Ps of the "marketing-mix" (product, price, promotion, place) to a focus instead on the overall shopping experience. This emerging shift has, in turn, placed "good to great" performance as the governing vision and cornerstone of market advantage. Such a vision has been applied to every aspect of the company's commitment to operational excellence and customer focus in fulfillment of their brand promise. It is in this context that Great Store Performance finds its timely relevance and compelling appeal. This book focuses exclusively on the subject of great store performance; what it means in distinction to typically "good" store performance, why its sustained achievement is so elusive and what is required to make its consistent achievement a reality to achieve and sustain market advantage. The recommendations offered in this book are based on the important findings and conclusions of extensive and groundbreaking field research conducted in over one thousand field executive store visits within several major chain store retailers over the past neatly two decades. Because this is the only book available that deals specifically with the discipline and challenges of retail field leadership, and which is written primarily and directly to and for retail field executives and senior level executives, it promises to be a unique and invaluable contribution.

For nearly 30 years, Mr. Riskas has worked with numerous organizations, including several Fortune 500 and 1000 Companies worldwide. As an executive coach and advisor to senior management, his professional focus has been primarily in the areas of organizational development and performance improvement. The Author's industry expertise spans the retail, pharmaceutical and high-technology sectors. Over the past nearly two decades of his career, Mr. Riskas has conducted pioneering work in the retail sector, conducting extensive action research in the area of field management practices and designing coaching and development processes to help field executives consistently improve store performance, execution and results through applied Action Science. Some of the major retail companies the Author has worked with include Target Stores, Mervyn's, PetsMart, Dayton's, Hudson's, Office-Max, Circuit City and Albertsons. In addition to Mr. Riskas' work within his own consulting firm, he has also served in various senior executive positions, including Executive Vice President and Senior Consultant of the renowned Covey Leadership Center (now Franklin Quest). He is the author of two books and several articles on the subject of leadership and organization development. Currently he resides in Las Vegas, Nevada.