NRF CEO Mullin: Retailers demonstrating 'courage to lead'

NEW YORK - National Retail Federation president Tracy Mullin accentuated the positive this morning in the opening moments of the 99th annual NRF Convention & Expo. In a passionate motivational moment, she celebrated the retailers that have defied the times and done amazing things in 2009.

"These past months have separated the men from the boys, the weak from the strong and true leaders from the imposters," she said.

Mullin gave the opening remarks Monday morning, as an introduction to the keynote panel discussion on "Recasting Retail."

She lauded Macy's, which has embraced localization and empowered local store managers; Kmart and Sears, for reigniting layaway; Zappo's, which created a culture of brand ambassadors rather than just customer service representatives; and Apple, which "made discretionary purchases feel like necessities."

"They are demonstrating day after day the courage to lead, refusing to be dispirited by bad economic news or even poor sales," she said. The full transcript of her opening remarks are available at NRF's blog.

The 99th Annual NRF Convention & Expo runs through Wednesday at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York.