Author

Mark A. Cohen

Mark A. Cohen recently retired as Director of Retail Studies at The Columbia Business School where he taught an array of retailing and leadership courses for 18 years. Before re-joining his Alma Mater Columbia, as a faculty member, (BS EE 69, MBA 71) he was Chairman/CEO of Sears Canada Inc, Chief Marketing Officer and President of Softlines of Sears Roebuck & Co., Chairman/CEO of Bradlees Inc., and Chairman/CEO of Lazarus Department Stores. He has also held executive positions at Abraham & Strauss, The Gap, Lord & Taylor, Mervyn’s and Goldsmith’s Department Stores.

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He also serves as a independent consultant to both the retail and consumer products industry and offers commentary on the retail industry to CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, NPR Marketplace and Fox Business networks. He is also frequently quoted in retail related articles in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, etc.

A Primer: Retailing Stands on Five Pillars

Mark Cohen December 12, 2016

Leaning Too Hard on One of Them Can Be Fatal Retail businesses stand or fall based on their strengths and weaknesses with regard to five ...

The Store of the Future

Mark Cohen February 22, 2016

In 1983, “New York Times” journalist and eminence grise of retail reportage, the late Isadore Barmash, reported on the then newly revealed Sears Roebuck “Store ...

Cautionary Tales

Mark Cohen January 6, 2016

Why do Retail Company Boards of Directors Appoint Dysfunctional CEOS — Then Fail to Recognize Their Error Before It’s Too Late? All publicly held companies ...

Is There a Serial Killer Loose in Your Corner Office?

Mark Cohen May 11, 2015

You don’t have to be a criminologist to know that Serial Killers kill people. Retail Serial Killers (or RSKs) on the other hand, are, in ...

12 Symptoms of a Dying Retailer

Mark Cohen March 3, 2015

We all know when a retailer is in trouble financially. If public, their quarterly results invite critical comments by analysts. Their financial disclosures begin to ...

Are You Trapped in the Past?

Mark Cohen October 21, 2014

Think you are a Retail Guru? Student of the Industry? Current or former Master or Mistress of the Universe? Or have you just been around ...

Three Strikes and He’s Out!

Mark Cohen May 8, 2014

Strike One Spotty performance going into the recession and poor performance coming out. Target Stores and its web business have been poorly positioned from a ...