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Since then, Proffitt's acquired Saks Holdings, the parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue, and has taken the more prestigious name of the New York-based chain. Saks Inc. now is headquartered in Birmingham, Ala. Carson Chairman Stanton J. Bluestone retired at the end of January, a year after the sale was completed. Several other executives left in changes that were announced at the time of the purchase, but the work force at the Milwaukee headquarters has remained stable at just over 700, down about 20 positions from a year ago. One of the changes announced to Carson employees in November will begin taking effect at midyear when certain accounting tasks will start to be shifted to Saks' Jackson, Miss., office. About 20 jobs will be eliminated this summer, and 40 more will end in 2000. Most of the positions are hourly jobs, and people involved are getting six months notice, MacDonald said. Next month, shoppers will see the most visible result so far of the consolidation: Carson Pirie took ownership this month of its shoe departments. In the past, the shoe departments were leased to another company that paid a fee to Carson to sell in their stores. While this distinction seems unimportant to the average shopper, it makes a big difference to the retailer, who invests millions in shoe inventory and assumes the financial risk of whether or not the shoes sell. Without the expertise and the financial backing of the larger company, Carson wouldn't have been able to pull off the switch, MacDonald said. The change will mean a better selection of upscale and moderate brands at better prices, MacDonald said. Brands include Via Spiga, Kenneth Cole, Ralph Lauren, DKNY, Ellen Tracy, Enzo, Calico, Nine West, Liz Claiborne, Etienne Aigner, Tommy Hilfiger, Birkenstock, Jones New York, Bandalino, Bass, Rockport, Cole Haan, Doc Marten, Skechers, Timberland and Johnson & Murphy. In the past, the shoe-section operator has stocked some of those, but not consistently, MacDonald said. "Saks had a well-developed shoe department," MacDonald said, adding that the Carson division has hired a number of managers and buyers to run the new in-house shoe department for the Milwaukee-based division. Other new brands made available because of the association with the larger company are coming into the Boston Store now. Hart Schaffner & Marx mens wear is being introduced at Brookfield, Mayfair and Bayshore, and the Hilfiger and Polo lines are being expanded, MacDonald said. Chanel perfume is now being sold at Bayshore, and all stores in the chain will get a number of new private label apparel lines. Aside from the merchandise rollouts, the most noticeable change due to the acquisition was the announcement last year that Carson was dropping its longtime ad agency, Laughlin & Constable in Milwaukee. The agency and Carson took top honors at the Retail Advertising Conference last February for Carson's broadcast campaign. The ads used the tag line "Come to the Right Place" and featured the voices of a bluesy young African-American quartet from Chicago. The ads disappeared from the airwaves last fall and were replaced by less-frequent event- and product-driven spots produced by the agency that the Proffitt's chain has been using. "We're in a transition period," said Edward P. Carroll Jr., executive vice president of marketing for the Carson division. He said the company would be back on the air with a spring campaign. The new tag line is "Your Style of Living." Meanwhile, the company is continuing its store renovations with a total interior face-lift at the Brookfield Square store. Work will begin in eight weeks and is expected to be completed by Nov. 1, MacDonald said.