Todd Snyder
Todd Snyder spent many years designing for others, running an online-only store and having his designs displayed at others’ stores. When he was ready to make the leap into his own brick-and-mortar storefront, Todd tasked Michael with his new 6,000-square-foot flagship near Manhattan’s Madison Square Park.
The upscale menswear and accessories concept is the pinnacle of experiental retail, providing not just world-class service, but an all-in-one place for today’s modern man to shop, dine and even indulge in a little self-care. The Todd Snyder flagship features an in-shop barber, bar and café, full-time tailor space, and shop-in-shop space featuring everything from curated vintage watches to eye-appealing framed prints and even shades worn by the decades’ hottest celebrities.
Michael provided advisory services on all retail and office real estate, store operational infrastructure, point of sale (POS), payment processing, merchandise logistics, third-party operator contract negotiations and project management services for Todd Snyder. The flagship was voted among the Best New Menswear Stores in New York City by Gear Patrol and the Best of New York Shopping 2017 by New York Magazine.
Burger and Dogs
Burgerz and Dogz (BandDz) owner Doug Baros had one goal: to get rid of the “bull” surrounding today’s trendy hot dog and burger concepts by focusing on the bull – quite literally! While Doug got busy in the kitchen creating premier burgers and dogs that celebrated the meat, rather than covering it up, Michael went to work hunting down locations, negotiating leases, managing construction processes and overseeing POS integrations.
The concept was an immediate hit in Pittsburgh, quickly expanding to two additional restaurant outposts. Michael helped Baros and BandDz initiate a policy and procedure development strategy to facilitate its expansion efforts. This strategy allowed BandDz to streamline associate training, and provided a blueprint for grand opening marketing efforts going forward.
Today, BandDz enjoys three robust dining locations that focus on good, old build-your-own (BYO) American fare. The chain was even named one of the Top 40 Fantastic Franks in America by Urban Spoon!
El Rey Café
The El Rey Café already had a success on its hands with its inaugural coffee shop and luncheonette location on Stanton Street in New York City, but it was looking for something else. Understanding the evolution today’s retail market is undergoing, Michael worked with Todd Snyder and the El Rey owners to bring this café in-house, providing an enhanced environment for shopping, dining and socializing near Madison Square Park.
Michael collaborated with the two partners, successfully securing a lease, community board approval for a liquor license, and outside seating plans and permitting for El Rey. He even went a step further and obtained rent-free space from the landlord, which now serves as El Rey’s food preparation area, strengthening the outpost’s on-site support. Todd Snyder’s customers can now enjoy a craft cocktail or charcoal lemonade as they shop, or they can take a break from perusing suits to load up on a cobb salad or re-energize with a macchiato while remaining on premises.
Moscot
Moscot is synonymous with iconic and New York – just like the celebrities who wear them – including Brad Pitt, Andy Warhol, Johnny Depp, John Lennon and even Henry Kissinger. Originally established on the Lower East Side in 1915, Moscot doesn’t need any help in the cool department. The eyewear brand did need help, however, expanding its vision and customer base to include today’s distinguished gentlemen.
With this goal in mind, Moscot sought out shop-in-shop space at Todd Snyder’s new flagship near Madison Square Park. Michael oversaw the lease and licensing agreements and developed a procedure in place for Todd Snyder associates to sell prescription eyewear within one of New York’s hottest new storefronts. Moscot now benefits from additional exposure and expansion in an elite experiential retail environment, and Todd Snyder is able to introduce his customers to a like-minded product that will no doubt excite them.
American Eagle Outfitters Fashion Design Center
Before Tiffany & Co. took occupancy of its current 5th Avenue location, it enjoyed a premier location farther south of Trump Tower, Central Park and the Plaza at the intersection of 5th and 37th streets. The iconic jeweler used this seven-story masonry structure as its Manhattan flagship, calling the historic building home from 1905 until 1950.
What used to be the epicenter of glamor to Manhattan’s Gatsby elite now serves as an innovative fashion design center for 500 American Eagle Outfitters employees and creative thinkers. The global apparel and accessories retailer invested $16 million and garnered an additional $8 million in tenant improvements to polish this underutilized gem.
As project manager, Michael negotiated the retailer’s lease renewals, helped secure the tenant improvement allowance, and oversaw the build-out, including layout, design, furniture and technology implementation and integration. Michael worked with the construction department and assisted American Eagle (AEO) with the temporary relocation of hundreds of associates as the seven-story, 250,000-square-foot project commenced. He also secured 25,000 square feet of sub-basement space at a very low rent, and helped integrate a state-of-the-art conference and collaboration area for AEO’s international operations division. With Michael’s help, the new design center was completed two months early and under budget, revitalizing a long-forgotten city icon that will now shine bright for years to come.
American Eagle Outfitters Global Flagship
While Times Square is just about the only place where a 40,000-square-foot global flagship can get lost among the hypnotic neon lights of the city, Michael’s successful acquisition of a 15,000-square-foot iconic LED sign ensures American Eagle’s quintessential location will never blend in. Michael worked tirelessly for three years to settle on just the right spot for one of the country’s most well-known retail brands to hang their worldwide hat.
The result is a beautiful four-level flagship store in arguably one of the best retail locations in the world. Michael was not only successful at eventually finding the perfect spot, but he also handled direct negotiations with the building owner, prepared the financial pro forma and delivered the presentation for the Board of Directors. That presentation received instant unanimous approval and, just like that, American Eagle cemented its presence upon the world’s stage.
Michael oversaw a team of 30 people – including merchants, deliveries, personnel, POS, and finance, IT, logistics, layout, design and marketing departments – to coordinate the collaborative success of this global brand. He also managed the acquisition and installation of that famous $15 million LED sign, the largest such sign in Times Square at the time. Michael additionally completed AEO’s other Manhattan flagship locations, including stores in Soho (35,000 square feet), Union Square (13,000 square feet) and 34th Street (15,000 square feet, including offices for human resources and public relations).
American Eagle Outfitters Global Headquarters
The City of Pittsburgh was extremely excited at the prospect of housing AEO’s global headquarters. At the time, the retailer was poised to be the first Fortune 500 company to move into the city in 80 years. Michael worked with the city, AEO executives and Sofer, which was sitting on a 186,000-square-foot spec shell building in the city’s South Side.
With Michael’s help, American Eagle purchased the asset and embarked on an $80 million, three-year project that played a major role in revitalizing this former steel mill submarket. In that time, American Eagle was able to successfully relocate 1,000 employees from a sleepy suburban office building attached to a distribution center to a world-class creative office campus that was named among the Coolest Office Buildings in Pittsburgh by Pittsburgh Magazine.
Michael helped evaluate 50 sites during this selection process, ultimately negotiating the six-story spec sale and an additional two acres of waterfront real estate where American Eagle built a second 160,000-square-foot office building from the ground up. The land was acquired from the City of Pittsburgh, and included free and exclusive use of a 1,000-space, multi-level parking garage for all AEO employees.
Speaking of employees, Michael oversaw the relocation of all 1,000 of them from the suburban office to the brand-new South Side campus over the course of one weekend. Those employees now work in style as they enjoy an on-site gym, wellness center, yoga studio and world-class dining hall. They also have tools like video conferencing, a video production studio, ecommerce photo studio and lab stores at their disposal, all in one convenient location. The final cherry on top was Michael’s negotiation with the city to get them to rename the campus’ address to 77 Hot Metal Street in honor of the year AEO was founded (1977).
The Kin Room
A good shave and a haircut never go out of style. That classic look made famous by the original dapper generation of New Yorkers is back with a vengeance, and Robin Capili is leading the pack. Like the El Rey, Capili saw the value in partnering with a brand that aligned with his clients’ core values, diversified his business and created an internet-proof, all-in-one concept that took an otherwise menial task and made it a leisurely experience that could be enjoyed all afternoon.
Michael worked with Todd Snyder to find the ideal creative and professional partner, ultimately negotiating the third-party agreement between the two entities. He collaborated with Capili and the design and construction departments to build out his dream of running his own old-fashioned barber shop. The Kin Room now offers men’s and women’s haircuts, blowouts and treatments, in addition to straight-razor shaves, beard trims, hot towel treatments, massages and a full line of quality hair- and beard-care products. Capili has been so successful and in demand that he now manages a three-person team within the 600-square-foot enclosed build out!
Aerie Brand Launch
Aerie quickly grew from a small selection of women’s intimates for American Eagle to a shop-in-shop, side-by-side and eventually stand-alone brand that now does about $500 million in annual sales. Known as the sole serious competitor to Victoria’s Secret, Michael helped mold this modest concept into the global powerhouse it is today.
From launching the first shop in shop to securing stand-alone spaces independent of American Eagle, Michael assisted in the space expansions, tenant removal to make way for Aerie and lease renegotiations with AEO to allow the Aerie concept to thrive. He also worked closely with shopping center landlords, the Aerie merchandising team, and AEO’s legal, finance, design and construction teams to cultivate mutually beneficial leases and retail real estate spaces for all to enjoy. Aerie now boasts more than 250 locations worldwide.
Mr. Bulky’s Gifts & Treats
The Candy Man can do a lot of things, but he can do it even better with a larger footprint. Michael was brought in when this Michigan-based gift, treats and candy store realized its demand far exceeded its modest Midwest presence.
Michael helped the chain expand, opening 100 additional nationwide outposts in three years. He also supervised the operation of 150 total candy and gift stores, ultimately leading to a $75 million total annual sales volume for the corporate-run stores. Michael oversaw Mr. Bulky’s sales, operations, personnel, merchandising, payroll, budgeting, and policies and procedures.
American Eagle Outlets
Michael oversaw the opening of the first 20 American Eagle outlet stores, which occurred within a three-month period right before the busy holiday shopping season. He went on to supervise the operation of the retailer’s inaugural 50 outlet stores, including personnel, merchandising, payroll, budgeting, and policies and procedures, before the stores were acquired by another company.
American Eagle was out of the outlet game for 10 years until Michael made it his personal mission to prove the retailer could adapt and re-enter the outlet market. Michael listened to AEO management’s fears, including “brand appropriateness” and the potential cannibalization of existing stores. He then crafted a plan that proved AEO’s outlet re-entry was not just viable, but likely very profitable. Over the next two years Michael created a few select outlets that served as test shops, eventually winning the retailer over and executing his successful site selection, lease negotiations and project management strategies.
American Eagle now operates more than 150 outlet stores in the U.S., with a total footprint north of 1 million square feet. These outlet shops produce an annual sales volume of $500 million for the company.
American Eagle Ecommerce Development Office
San Francisco and Silicon Valley maintain an elite pool of technology talent, which American Eagle wanted to capitalize on when it came time for the company to cultivate its burgeoning online, ecommerce and omnichannel platforms. With that in mind, Michael headed to San Francisco, ultimately selecting a 30,000-square-foot creative office space at 49 Stevenson Street that catered to the employees who made AEO’s omnichannel platform the success story it is today.
The state-of-the-art space was crafted with forward-thinking amenities like bike racks, fully stocked kitchen and dining areas, public balconies overlooking Downtown San Francisco and a variety of collaborative, family style office spaces. The dog-friendly workspace’s premier location is situated in the epicenter of downtown, giving AEO’s engineers, designers and digital marketing teams access to numerous transportation, dining, shopping and entertainment options.
American Eagle International Offices
A global company needs global support. While Pittsburgh serves as American Eagle’s prideful hometown, New York heads up the creative arm and San Francisco makes sure its omnichannel platform runs as smoothly as possible, Michael collaborated with AEO executives to ensure the brand dominated outside North America as well. This led to the successful opening of three Class A offices, including a 15,000-square-foot compliance office in Hong Kong, as well as two, 15,000-square-foot operations offices in Shanghai and London.
Michael assisted AEO with site analysis and selection, governmental concession negotiations, lease and renewal negotiations, relocation and moving logistics, and architectural, design and construction management. He also had a direct hand in the installation and implementation of the offices’ technology, auditoriums and presentation areas, gym facilities, on-site dining, conference and collaboration areas and furniture selection. All three offices are ideally situated near public transportation hubs, dining and entertainment districts and convenient services, such as dry cleaning.
