Robert Cohen has over 35 years of retail real estate experience. He specializes in tenant and owner representation in major urban retail markets throughout the U.S. with a special concentration in Manhattan and Los Angeles.
As a tenant representative, Cohen has executed national and regional expansion strategies for numerous retailers, including Canada Goose, Charlotte Olympia, Chrome Hearts, John Varvatos, Johnny Was, Oliver Peoples, Sam Edelman and Swarovski. Most recently, on behalf of Canada Goose, Cohen arranged 14 leases for stores throughout North America, including New York City, Costa Mesa, Chicago, Boston, Vancouver and Toronto.
Cohen represented Under Armour in its 53,000-square-foot lease for its Fifth Avenue flagship store at the GM Building. He also arranged flagship leases for The Elder Statesman in West Hollywood, Maria Tash in WeHo, Bal Harbour and North Park. He also secured numerous locations for H&M and Ralph Lauren and its brands as well as sites for retailers that include agnés b., Dooney & Bourke, Drybar, Gap Inc., Giorgio Armani, Jo Malone, MAC Cosmetics, Marmot, Montblanc, Oakley, Stussy, YSL, Sephora and Ulla Johnson.
Cohen began his career in Manhattan. He plays an active role in shaping the national retail landscape, with a primary focus in New York City and Los Angeles. Some of his more high-profile transactions have included securing three Manhattan Old Navy locations; stores for John Varvatos in SoHo and the Bowery; the former Diesel flagship store at 685 Fifth Avenue; six locations for Swarovski; multiple locations for Ralph Lauren and its Club Monaco and RRL brands; and a Nordstrom concept store in SoHo. He was also responsible for the leasing of 25,000 square feet to Prada for its SoHo flagship.
Cohen has additionally represented an impressive list of ownership clients, including Apollo Global Management, American Realty Advisors, CIM Group, Glimcher, Grosvenor, J.P. Morgan, Kalimian Brothers, Pearlmark Real Estate Partners, Regency Centers, Related Companies, Rockwood and The Sherry-Netherland.
Cohen joined Newmark in 2018, when parent company Newmark Group, Inc. acquired RKF, a New York-based retail real estate brokerage firm he helped found in 1998. In 2007, he led RKF’s expansion into Southern California. Prior to RKF, Cohen was a Managing Director at Garrick-Aug Associates. Previously, he worked at Edward S. Gordon and Helmsley-Spear.
Professional Affiliations
Cohen is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY), Urban Land Institute (ULI) and The Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce.
Education
Cohen earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Miami.