A believer in winners

Urban Outfitters Inc. created the chief executive job last year just for him - a type-A straight-talker with an artist's eye, dead-on retail instincts, and the ambition to grow the $1.5 billion Philadelphia retail company into a $10 billion giant.

A chat with Glen T. Senk quickly reveals why. The 52-year-old retail hound is about as ferocious a competitor as they come - his aesthetic sensibility notwithstanding.

"We really do have extraordinary people in this company," he says, "and I believe that winners win consistently. They may not win every time, but at the end of the race, whoever came out first in high school typically comes out first in college; they come out first in their first job; they come out first in their second job."

Senk shared his thoughts earlier this year in a wide-ranging conversation and a follow-up interview (the questions below introduce his thoughts and aren't necessarily verbatim). He recently marked his one-year anniversary as CEO of the company that runs the Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People apparel stores - and, new just this year, Terrain, an upper-crust garden store.

Board chairman and company founder Richard Hayne created the CEO job in May 2007. Senk is poised to one day replace the self-made billionaire at the helm of the growing Philadelphia retail conglomerate.

Senk's retail start was at Bloomgindale's in New York. He also ran a merchandise and marketing operation in London and was a senior executive at Williams-Sonoma Inc., before being hired by Hayne to lead Urban's chain of Anthropologie stores in 1994.

"I've known him for ages. He's a brilliant merchant," said Stephanie Solomon, Bloomingdale's women's fashion executive. "He's also got his finger on talent. And I trust him. I trust his intelligence and his foresight."

Question: Why is Urban opening more stores when online shopping is growing more popular among its target shoppers?

Answer: It's not just about coming into our store to buy a blouse. It's really about connecting with other people. It's about going for inspiration, going to see what the store looks like, going to see what other kids are wearing or [to] listen to the music, to see how the place smells and feels.

. . . I think that as kids get more and more wired that there's something else that's happening. They're going to increasingly be looking for more personal forms of connection. Because we're not robots; we're people. What motivates us most is connecting to other people.