Latest news with #Mentzer
New York Post
01-08-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Loehmann's department store gets new life after closing doors 11 years ago
The iconic Loehmann's brand will briefly reemerge after going belly-up more than a decade ago — giving shoppers a chance to scoop up some designer duds at bargain basement prices, The Post has learned. A pop-up version of the century-old department store, which went bankrupt in 2013, will open Aug. 21 on Long Island, its new owner said. Rival discounter Century 21 quietly acquired the brand in 2020, as The Post reported, and is relaunching it in a series of pop-up stores, starting at the Tanger Outlets at Deer Park. Advertisement 3 Loehmann's closed its doors seemingly for forever in 2014. Penske Media via Getty Images The initial two-week warehouse sale will also include Loehmann's famous 'Back Room,' which in its heyday featured deeply marked-down luxury brands from Michael Kors, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Fendi, Oscar de la Renta, Marc Jacobs among others. 'The hope is that 11 years later that there is some nostalgia for the brand and people fondly look back,' Larry Mentzer, Century 21's chief operating officer, said in an exclusive interview with The Post. Mentzer declined to divulge which brands will be available in the Back Room, as most designers don't want to be associated with discounting. Advertisement There will be a mix of 'well-known European designer labels, household names and emerging brands,' he said. Another pop-up is planned for Florida this year and one is coming to the Big Apple next year, Mentzer said. 'We think there is real value in the brand going forward,' Mentzer said, adding, 'off-price is the hottest sector in retail right now.' Advertisement 3 At its peak, Loehmann's operated some 100 stores in the 1990s. Astrid Stawiarz/NY Post The Gindi family, which owns Century 21, scooped up the Loehmann's brand for about $300,000 after the chain was liquidated following its third bankruptcy filing, sources told The Post. The New York-based company, which itself filed for bankruptcy in 2020 before reemering in 2022, is one of the last discount department stores that focuses on designer labels. It has oulasted Filine's Basement, Daffy's and Syms, which all shuttered more than a decade ago, squeezed out by larger, better funded competitors like TJ Maxx and Ross Stores. Advertisement 3 Century 21 acquired Loehmann's in 2000 for about $300,000, according to a source. Robert Miller At its peak, Loehmann's operated about 100 stores across the country in the 1990s, while Century 21 had 13 stores mostly in the New York metro area. Now, it operates just one at its flagship location in lower Manhattan.
New York Post
30-04-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Loehmann's eyes comeback after disappearing nearly a decade ago
Loehmann's is eyeing a comeback on the web after disappearing nearly a decade ago — and the storied retail brand's unlikely backer is former rival Century 21, The Post has learned. New York-based Century 21 quietly scooped up the Loehmann's name in 2020 — six years after Loehmann's liquidated its chain with its third bankruptcy filing, according to Century 21's chief executive Raymond Gindi. Now, a one-page website teases that 'Loehmann's is coming back. Online.' Advertisement 6 Loehmann's closed its stores in 2014 after its third bankruptcy filing. Penske Media via Getty Images It also says the 'Back Room is (almost) Back.' The site, which also allows customers to submit an email address for future news, shows no indication that Century 21 is behind the launch. 'We are networking with a few partners to bring back a re-imagined Loehmann's experience and will have more to share in the coming months,' Larry Mentzer, Century 21's chief operating officer, told The Post. Advertisement Mentzer also said there are discussions to open bricks and mortar Loehmann's stores but added 'nothing is confirmed.' Back in their heyday, Century 21 and Loehmann's were fierce competitors in a niche of discounters who peddled designer duds including Filene's Basement, Daffy's and Syms – which all succumbed to stiff competition from the likes of bigger, better-funded rivals like TJ Maxx and Ross Stores. Nevertheless, customers still hanker for Loehmann's, according to Century 21. Advertisement 6 A website announcing Loehmann's imminent return quietly popped up recently. 'Loehmann's continues to rank high as a retail destination that consumers recall, admire [and] want to patronize,' Mentzer added. The broiling tariff war has not 'factored into the decision-making process for re-launching 'Loehmann's – at this point,' Mentzer added, insisting that 'product is definitely available.' Both Century 21 and Loehmann's thrived on the thrill of the 'treasure hunt' in which shoppers dig through racks and bins of designer apparel to find a gem in the rough. Advertisement But if the plans proceed, the century-old Loehmann's brand will leapfrog Century 21 digitally. 6 Century 21 filed for bankruptcy and closed its stores in 2020 but reopened its flagship downtown two years later. Getty Images 6 At its peak Loehmann's operated about 100 stores across the country. New York Post The latter does not have an e-commerce site and is instead focused on its flagship store at 22 Cortlandt St., which was damaged and rebuilt after the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Mentzer told The Post. The Gindi family's interest in Loehmann's stems from its wider brand recognition across the US, including on the West Coast, sources said. 'As other retailers contract,' Mentzer said, this is 'the time for a re-imagined Loehmann's.' 6 The Gindi's opened more than a dozen Century 21 stores over six decades. Dan Brinzac Loehmann's was founded in Brooklyn in 1921 by Frieda Loehmann and her son Charles. Advertisement By the time it shut down in 2014 it had 39 stores nationwide, down from about 100 at its peak in the late 1990s. The chain was famous for its 'Back Room' where shoppers could find designer brands for less than at traditional department stores. At its apex, it leased the building that had housed the original Barneys store at Seventh Avenue and West 17th Street. Advertisement Upon its 2014 liquidation, New York hedge fund Esopus Creek Advisors acquired the Loehmann's name in bankruptcy court for $750,000. Another company purchased the brand before the pandemic from Esopus but the identity of the company and purchase price wasn't revealed. 6 Century 21 is among a genre of discount department stores that were known for the 'treasure hunt' shopping experience. Robert Miller Century 21 then scooped up the Loehmann's label for approximately $300,000, according to sources familiar with the deal. Advertisement Mentzer and Gindi declined to comment on the price. The 64-year-old Century 21 has had its share of drama over the past several years, including a bankruptcy filing in 2020 after which it closed its 13 stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Florida at the time. The Gindi family blamed the filing on a beef with their insurance provider, which didn't pay out business interruption insurance during the pandemic. Century 21 was shuttered for two years and reopened its flagship store downtown in 2022.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Hot Bench' Brings In New Judge & Bailiff For Season 12; Daniel Mentzer Succeeds Judge Michael Corriero
Trial attorney Daniel Mentzer will join Yodit Tewolde and Rachel Juarez on the panel of judges for the nationally syndicated courtroom show Hot Bench in its upcoming 12th season this fall. Shooting on Season 12 began this week in Hot Bench's new location, Stamford Studios in Connecticut, where the show moved from Los Angeles due to lucrative local tax credits. More from Deadline 'Hot Bench': Judge Michael Corriero To Retire, Rachel Juarez & Yodit Tewolde To Return For Season 12 'Hot Bench' Relocates To Connecticut As LA Production Exodus Continues With No Respite For Unscripted Shows In Sight 'Judge Judy' Repeats & 'Hot Bench' Renewed Through 2025-26 In Syndication Mentzer, who succeeds retiring Judge Michael Corriero, won't be the only new face next season. Gina Findley, a former NYPD Detective in the Chaplains Unit who retired last year after decades on the force, has joined as the new Bailiff. She replaces Sonia Montejano who had worked as Bailiff on Hot Bench for its 11 seasons to date but did not make the move to Connecticut. Corriero had been on the show for nine seasons. 'We are thrilled to welcome Judge Daniel Mentzer to the bench for Season 12,' said Hot Bench executive producer David Theodosopoulos. 'His expertise in criminal justice brings another dynamic perspective to our courtroom, perfectly complementing Judge Tewolde and Judge Juarez. I can't wait for viewers to experience the fresh energy and compelling arguments he brings to the series they know and love.' On Hot Bench, created by Judy Sheindlin, a three-judge panel takes on real small claims cases from courthouses across the country. Returning Judges Tewolde and Juarez have been on the show since Season 9. A seasoned trial attorney and legal analyst, Mentzer has served as an expert for Court TV and is featured on the upcoming Prime Video series Judge Judy Presents: Justice On Trial, the latest offshoot in Sheindlin's Justice court franchise for the streamer. Prior to joining Hot Bench, Mentzer, who is Sheindlin's son in law, was a criminal defense attorney in the Bronx, a Special Assistant Attorney General investigating Medicaid fraud, and a defense lawyer for The Legal Aid Society. He led 90 trials, including 32 homicide cases. Mentzer holds degrees from UC Santa Barbara, SUNY Buffalo Law, and an LL.M. in Taxation from William and Mary. 'After over 30 years in the courtroom as a trial attorney, I'm fired up to take the bench alongside the established powerhouse judges of Hot Bench,' Mentzer said. 'We will continue to make sure that the truth rises to the top, and that our verdicts are fair and just.' Hot Bench is the #1 syndicated court show in original production, averaging nearly 2 million daily viewers. It ranks in the top 10 first-run shows in all of syndication, and is the only court show to see year-over-year ratings and viewer growth. Hot Bench is distributed by CBS Media Ventures. Best of Deadline Which Colleen Hoover Books Are Becoming Movies? 'Verity,' 'Reminders Of Him' & 'Regretting You' Will Join 'It Ends With Us' Everything We Know About Amazon's 'Verity' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Paramount's 'Regretting You' Adaptation So Far
