Background
Holly Cohen is a highly accomplished international executive and board member, with demonstrated success across the retail, commercial real estate, consumer goods, footwear, sporting goods, apparel and accessories industries. Leveraging extensive experience in management for top level global brands, she is a valuable asset for retail and real estate developers of all sizes seeking assistance with growth, concept development, go-to-market strategies, shopping center merchandising and re-development, product development, portfolio optimization and transformation, turnarounds, and IPO preparation. Her broad areas of expertise include international market entry and expansion, multi-channel brand leadership, contract negotiation, budgeting, merchandising, profit and loss management, and project planning.
She founded Holly Cohen Retail Advisory Services, LLC, in January 2018 and immediately built a strong clientele. Holly consulted for the International Council of Shopping Centers, a global trade organization with over 70,000 members where she’s been a member of the board of trustees since 2010. She provided strategic support and innovation to enhance the value proposition offered to its retail members as well as strategies to recruit new and emerging brands. She developed and launched the new Retail in Focus program that debuted in December 2018 at the NY Deal Making event which is being carried forward in ICSC’s programming. She is also an advisor for Fourpost, initially launched as RAAS, Retail as a Service, a startup with two locations open in North America and one to open mid-year. seeking to take the company to the next level through transformative growth strategies.
Holly has held influential leadership positions with Nike Inc., Claire’s, J. Crew, Inc., and Gap, Inc. In her most recent role as Vice President, Global DTC Retail Real Estate and Store Construction at Nike, which owns Converse and Hurley, she was responsible for creating a global playbook for strategic development of integrated marketplace planning, unifying business channels to improve revenue and profitability growth for all three brands. Notably, she played an integral part in the site selection, board approval, contract negotiation, and construction process for key city flagships in New York, Miami, Paris and Shanghai resulting in projected revenue of over $200M. She also proved instrumental in driving global development and approval for 150 new Nike Factory stores annually. Furthermore, she participated in sustainability efforts by opening LEED certified new stores in North America, China, Japan and South America.
Previously, as the Senior Vice-President, Global Real Estate, Planning and Store Construction for J. Crew, she was a critical member of the turnaround team that took the company public in 2006. Holly set the vision and strategy for store growth using consumer analytics. Her strong industry relationships with C Suite executives afforded her the ability to drive lease acquisitions of the best locations with the most compelling economics. Holly also spearheaded the vision and strategy for international launches and expansion into Canada, Europe and Asia. She was responsible for the first overseas store and flagship opening on Regent St., London. Additionally, she launched new concepts and brands including Madewell, J. Crew Mens, and Crewcuts. She provided forward-thinking strategies for doubling the size of the fleet of highly profitable full price and outlet locations. In a prior role as SVP, Global Real Estate and Store Construction with Claire’s, she oversaw a portfolio of 3,500 stores in over 40 countries, for both Claire’s and Icing brands, developing and managing highly effective teams in North America, Europe and China. She also directed a new global store design and construction store rollout to help reinvent and revitalize both brands. Holly has spent her career cultivating strong industry relationships with global, and high street resulting in new store opportunities and lease renewals, thus averting store closures.
Holly completed the Finance Executive Education program from the Wharton School, ICSC University of Shopping Centers East. She graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in buying and fashion merchandising management. Holly has served on the board of trustees with the International Council of Shopping Centers since 2010, and was the first trustee to be a chair of RECon in 2014. Holly has been a juror for the 2017 and 2018 U.S. Design and Development Awards, and a juror for the ICSC and Cornell International RE Case Competition, and panelist at RECon 2018. Holly began volunteering as a mentor for the graduate program at the University of Miami Business School in August 2018. She recently was elected to be the Retail Mentor for the 2019 Mary Lou Fiala Fellowship, sponsored by ICSC. In addition to being a member of ICSC, she is also a member of CREW, and a licensed Florida Real Estate Sales Associate.
Get in touch
We at Holly Cohen Retail Advisory Services, LLC know that finding the right executive to represent you is a choice not to be taken lightly. That’s why we offer consultations to walk you through your needs, the scope of your goals, and your budget.
Holly@CohenRAS.com
LinkedIn
+1 917-697-5762
Miami, FL and New York, NY
Education
FASHION INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, NY
Buying and Fashion Merchandising Management
WHARTON SCHOOL, ICSC UNIVERSITY OF SHOPPING CENTERS
Certification, Executive Education for Finance
Volunteer Experience
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI
Moderator for “The Future is Female” panel discussion, April 2019
Volunteer Mentor for MBA Program
August 2018 - Present
ICSC
Retail Mentor for 2019 Mary Lou Fiala Fellowship
Activities & Affiliations
Trustee, International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), May 2010 - Present
Juror, ICSC & Cornell International Retail Real Estate Case Competition, 2018
Juror, ICSC U.S. Design & Developmental Awards, 2018, 2017
Chair, RECon, International Council of Shopping Centers, 2014
Member,CREW
Panelist, Miami Finance Forum 2019
Florida Real Estate Sales Associate