Newton, MA - Retail Systems® 2004/VICS Collaborative Commerce announced that Mike Duke, Executive Vice President and President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Division (USA) will present the opening keynote at America's Leading Retail IT and Supply Chain Event. The event will be held May 17-19 at McCormick Place, Lakeside Center in Chicago, IL USA.
Mike Duke will discuss the long-term vision driving Wal-Mart Stores' decision to integrate Electronic Product Code (EPC) and RFID network technology into his company's supply chain practices. He will talk about his senior management team's rationale for the Wal-Mart 2005 initiative and its implications for the suppliers of the world's largest retailer. He will describe how he views transformational technologies such as RFID and their potential impact on logistics, store operations and merchandising.
Duke currently serves as Executive Vice President and President and CEO of Wal-Mart Stores Division (USA). Duke, who is one of the primary business sponsors of Wal-Mart's RFID initiative, is responsible for the day-to-day retail and merchandising operations of Wal-Mart's discount stores, Supercenters and Neighborhood Markets in the US. Since joining Wal-Mart in 1995, he has served as Executive Vice President of Administration, Executive Vice President of Logistics, Senior Vice President of Logistics, and Senior Vice President of Distribution.
Prior to joining the company, Duke had 23 years' experience in retailing with Federated Department Stores, May Department Stores, and Venture Stores.
This opening keynote address kicks off two days of exciting opportunities for attendees to learn and share ideas with their peers through educational seminars, networking events, and the largest IT exhibition in the retail industry. Retail Systems 2004/VICS show highlights include:
--All new conference sessions presented by retail and manufacturing executives, as well as industry luminaries
--More than 250 solution providers showcasing the latest technology applications for retail, CPG, and apparel companies
--Retail Best Practice Roundtables - small group discussions addressing hot topics such as RFID, IT management, stores of the future, and data synchronization
--Collaboration Zone - bringing retailers and suppliers together to discuss new supply chain initiatives
--Pre-show seminars on specific topics relevant to the retail and supply chain industries
--TechTours® Program with marketplace analysis presentations, panel discussions, as well as guided and self-guided tours of the exhibit floor
--Strategic Integration Summit featuring some of the industries most innovative thinkers discussing how to make safe investments in innovation
Retail Systems 2004/VICS Collaborative Commerce is organized by Retail Systems Alert Group Inc., a global research and events company that has followed the advancements of technology applications within the retail, apparel and CPG industries since 1989. The Retail Systems 2004/VICS conference program was developed in cooperation with the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Standards (VICS) Association. The mission of the VICS Association is to take a global leadership role in the ongoing improvement of the flow of product and information about the product throughout the entire retail supply chain.
