In Memoriam Barry Cohen

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our friend and colleague Barry Cohen. Barry died unexpectedly from a cardiac complication. He was 67.

Barry served as Managing Director of TRAUB Consulting.  He joined the company in 2012, bringing expertise in retail, sales, retail economics, brand acquisition, brand management and merchandising strategy.

“Barry was our chalice of retail wisdom and know-how. He was a dogged competitor and merchant. His tenacity caused him to be one of our company’s most important leaders. He had a sixth sense for the consumer and the trade. He understood what buyers and consumers wanted and possessed an innate and natural merchant sensibility. Barry was a force of nature. He did not take no for an answer and loved the retailing industry and all the people within it. We will miss his war stories; his detailed descriptions of how a sales meeting went; what the brand needed to do to react to feedback; his excitement about a new technology platform; and his infectious enthusiasm for all things retail. He was quite simply one of our merchant princes, and our company will not be the same without him.” said Mortimer Singer, CEO of Traub.

Prior to joining TRAUB, Barry served as the President of Merchandising for the Editors Closet Group, a division of Swiss Watch International (“SWI”), which include “private-sale” flash-sites like Editors Closet, Ivory Trunk, and Smart Bargains. Barry was responsible for the brand acquisition for major product groups in apparel, handbags, shoes, accessories, home furnishings, and beauty, as well as cosmetics in the designer, bridge and better price ranges.

In addition, Barry was Vice President of Brand Development for Ideeli.com, another private sale e-Commerce site, where he was one of the first employees.  Prior to Ideeli, Barry spent over 25 years in the department store, off-price, and manufacturing industries, with 17 years at Lord & Taylor, reaching the position of GMM/SVP of Merchandising for ladies and intimate apparel, home furnishings, and subsequent to that, over 8 years as SVP Merchandising at Saks Off 5th, the off-price chain of stores, a division of Saks 5th Avenue.

Barry also served as an instructor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City, where he taught in the Continuing Education Department, in Strategic Development for Retail.  Additionally, Barry is an on-air contributor for Bloomberg TV, as an analyst for the retail industry.

Barry received a degree in Management Science from the University of Maryland business school.

He is survived by his wife Leslie, two sons Ian and Brandon, grandson Ethan, daughter-in-law Mitzi, and his three younger brothers Arthur, Allen, and Harlan, all of whom he was immensely proud.

Service will be broadcasted by Central Synagogue this Thursday, April 2^nd, 2020 at 6pm via the conferencing application Zoom. For access information please email ahafkin@traub.io