Barry Kaufman Joins Hilco Real Estate to Launch and Direct New Retailer-Focused Services Platform

NORTHBROOK, Ill., July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Neil R. Aaronson, CEO of Hilco Real Estate, LLC ("HRE") today announced the appointment of Barry D. Kaufman as Senior Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor for HRE.  Mr. Kaufman will direct a newly-formed business unit, Hilco Real Estate Retail Solutions, which can function as a retailer's fully-integrated, outsourced real estate department, or provide portions of a retailer's overall real estate requirements.

Hilco Real Estate Retail Solutions will work with retailers to develop and execute new, highly-customized strategic plans that optimize a retailer's store positioning, sizing, occupancy costs and capital expenditure levels, thereby maximizing brand productivity and profitability.  Services are divided into three principal categories: (1) Benchmarking and Analytical Work, which provides an analysis and grounding in the retailer's performance and occupancy costs by mall and non-mall segment, developer, region, and versus benchmark competitors, (2) Real Estate Strategy and Transaction Targeting, which will align senior management and its real estate team on the exact number, size, locations, targeted occupancy costs and capital expenditure levels of its stores, and (3) Transactional Work, which will execute the aligned-upon targeted transaction plans.

Neil Aaronson said, "We see enormous potential to extend our platform of services within the retailing sector."  He added, "Barry Kaufman and his team can provide retailers with analytical, strategic planning and transaction skills not typically found within a corporate real estate department."  

Mr. Kaufman has more than 30 years of experience leading the real estate departments of multi-billion dollar retailers, and has served as a member of these retailers' senior management teams.  Most recently, he was the President and CEO of Limited Brands Real Estate, where he created and led the team that developed the real estate-related strategic and tactical growth plans for multiple brands under the Limited Brands umbrella, including Victoria's Secret, Bath and Body Works, Henri Bendel, The Limited and Express.  In total, the team dealt with more than 4,000 stores and executed more than 1000 real estate transactions annually.  Mr. Kaufman retired from Limited Brands Real Estate in 2006 and has since been consulting for retailers.

Prior thereto, Mr. Kaufman was the Vice President and Head of Real Estate for Sears Roebuck and Co, where he created and led a real estate organization that managed more than 4000 existing real estate locations and created growth opportunities for the $40 billion retailer.  Mr. Kaufman began his career in retailing and real estate at The May Department Stores Company, where he ultimately served as Senior Vice President of May Realty, Inc.

"Things have materially changed for most retailers," said Mr. Kaufman.  "Retail companies can no longer operate with a reactive, opportunistic real estate model driven by new store openings, and new store openings will no longer be able to mask real estate or other operating shortcomings in the business," said Mr. Kaufman. "A strategic, well thought out real estate model is now required to ensure alignment between senior management and its real estate team on targeted real estate activities.  That is our reason for being.  We expect many retailers to engage us on a fully-integrated, turnkey basis, but we are also happy to provide selected services as a retailer may require."

Gregory S. Apter, President of Hilco Real Estate, commented, "We are fortunate to have Barry with us.  He is a visionary, who has earned great respect in retail circles, and is the perfect choice to lead Hilco Real Estate Retail Solutions."

About Hilco Real Estate, LLC and Hilco Trading, LLC

Hilco Real Estate, LLC ("HRE") (www.hilcorealestate.com) is headquartered in Northbrook, IL (Chicago) and helps healthy and stressed companies, including retailers,  position their stores and other real estate assets so as to maximize productivity and profitability through an integrated platform of analytical, strategic, financial and transactional services.  HRE also serves lenders, REITs, private equity firms and other real estate investors and developers.  Core competencies include appraisal, brokerage/disposition, lease restructuring, full outsourcing of retail real estate requirements, asset and property management, distressed debt management and acquisition, fee simple acquisitions and capital deployment via sale/leaseback, rescue financing and bridge financing.  HRE is a unit of Hilco Trading, LLC ("Hilco"), (www.hilcotrading.com).  Also headquartered in Northbrook, IL, Hilco is an international provider of diversified financial and operational business services, including business asset valuations, asset acquisitions and disposition services, and business advisory services, including retail consulting, investment banking and distressed debt management.  Hilco also owns three private equity investment platforms.  Offices are located throughout North America and in the United Kingdom.

SOURCE Hilco Real Estate, LLC