Retail group chooses leader

Nancy Thomas yesterday was named president and chief executive officer of the Retail Merchants Association. She is the first woman to hold the position in the Richmond-based trade group's 100-year history.

Thomas, who was interim president since her predecessor retired, is a former chairwoman of the Retail Merchants board and was co-owner of Turn Key Interiors, a Richmond-based design firm.

Before starting Turn Key with Betsy Moore, she was co-owner of retailer the Arcade on Grove.

As part of taking over the association, she resigned her partnership with Turn Key yesterday.

She succeeds William H. Baxter, who retired in October after 15 years running the day-to-day operations of the organization.

Thomas, 50, takes the helm at one of the most difficult economic times for retailers in decades. Across the country, waning consumer confidence is keeping customers out of stores. That led to the worst holiday shopping season in decades and is causing national chains to close stores.

Her experience helps her empathize with what members are going through, said Robert S. Ukrop, president and chief executive of Ukrop's Super Markets Inc. and a board member with the retail group.

"She has a wide-ranging background and understands retail as a small-business owner and from working in a big company," he said. Thomas worked at This End Up for 12 years.

Thomas said one of her top priorities in the new job is to educate the group's 1,000 members on how to weather the storm.

"I want to reach out to our members and see what they need from us. See what we can do for them," she said.

Thomas said she envisions the association as being a warehouse of information for retailers facing problems.

While she has been acting head of the group since October, Thomas said her main concern had been shepherding the organization's goals through the end of the year.

But "I found that position energized me to the point that I decided to place myself in the running for the job," she said.

Turn Key will continue to operate, she said.

Thomas, one of several candidates for in the position, had several interviews with the board before being offered the job late last week.

The board voted unanimously yesterday to hire her, according to the group.

"As a longtime retailer with a long history on our board -- both as a member and a leader -- she is in the perfect position to know what the future holds for retail and how we need to move forward as an organization," said Bill Selden, chairman of the Retail Merchants Association's board of directors.

Lisa McSherry, who owns Lex's of Carytown, said she's happy with the decision.

"I couldn't have hand-picked a better person," McSherry said yesterday. "She has the dedication and direction to know where she wants to go."

Contact Louis Llovio at (804) 649-6348 or .