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N.J. mall becomes school for a day

By Faye Brookman

In the never-ending quest to find a quality workforce, it pays to start educating them young. At least that seemed be part of the focus as Riverside Square, the upscale Hackensack, N.J., mall played host to 25 fashion merchandising students from a local high school.

The students, from Pompton Lakes (N.J.) High School, planned the field trip to learn more about the day-to-day operations of a regional shopping center, according to class teacher Joan Ferris. That goal was achieved, said Ms. Ferris, thanks to presentations by mall and tenant executives.

Mary Woods, Riverside Square's marketing director, explained to the students the various roles of a mall marketing director. She talked about issues such as public relations and matching services to market demographics. She compared her job with that of running any large facility like a hotel.

The students' interests ranged from buying and merchandising to store design and architecture, she explained. Some also hoped to enter a career in fashion design.

"I was very impressed with the level of questions asked," said Ms. Woods. "They asked about our new advertising campaign and they seemed to have a good handle on marketing."

The new print advertising campaign, inaugurated last fall, uses a fictional shopper who finds all of her needs at Riverside Square.

"We also talked about the tenant mix and why some stores go into specific sites," Ms. Woods added.

Her comments also centered on the importance of customer service -- especially at Riverside Square, an upscale northern New Jersey center that competes with a host of other upper-tier malls. Management, leasing, marketing and development services for Riverside Square are provided by Urban Retail Properties Co., an affiliate of Urban Shopping Centers Inc., Chicago.

Anchored by Bloomingdale's and Saks Fifth Avenue, Riverside Square features 70 shops offering apparel, home furnishings, books, gifts and beauty products. The center also features three sit-down restaurants. The demographics surrounding the center put Riverside Square in a very enviable position -- household incomes average $81,581. The population in the trade area is set to hit 942,006 by 2001.

Riverside Square is in a hotbed of competition from the nearby Garden State Plaza in Paramus, N.J., and the prestigious stores of Manhattan only minutes away.

The two-level center, which underwent a major renovation in 1995, has tried to elevate its ambience from the competition with features such as a concierge where gift certificates can be purchased and dinner reservations requested. Fax and copy service, as well as strollers are also available.

Riverside Square merchants such as Filipe Acobes, floor supervisor for the center's Gap store, also participated. Mr. Acobes provided advice on getting started in a retail career and opportunities at retailers like The Gap, including a college internship program.

"It is a wonderful experience to be able to hear someone from The Gap describe working for the company," said Ms. Woods.

The students took a tour of the center, during which Ms. Woods described the architecture and merchandise mix, explaining how the mall has used elements from fashion designers in its look.

As a result of a comprehensive interior renovation, the center is accented with magnificent galleries and plush seating areas that create gathering niches for shoppers that take cues from major design houses.

"They were very familiar with designers like Balenciaga and we could discuss how those designs have been used at Riverside Square," she said.

Following the tour, students took notes and had the opportunity to do what they like best -- shop. Gift bags were also provided as well as information from various retailers about career opportunities.

Ms. Ferris said tours such as this are critical in luring more good people to the retail field.

"The day provided an educational and fun experience," the teacher noted. "This type of first-hand involvement really helps the students focus on their own interests and possibilities for the future. A majority of the class members are interested in pursuing a career in fashion, and several are interested in the business aspect or the design area."

Ms. Ferris said she hopes the tours can be repeated, and urged other shopping centers to open their doors to students to help excite youth to pursue retail jobs.

Riverside Square's staff benefited, as well. The Pompton High visit is only one example of the center's outreach to students and business education.

"It is always important to give back to the community," said Ms. Woods, who hopes future student tours will be held.

Other recent visits included one from students of Marywood College in Scranton, Pa.

Adult groups visit, too. For instance, 35 representatives of the Taiwan Shopping Center Development Council toured Riverside Square. The group consisted of owners, managers, developers and department store executives who queried staff on issues including leasing, marketing and architecture.