Iconic Century 21 closed its doors in 2020, not the first retail victim of the fallout from the pandemic. Five years later the brand’s comeback story marks a page in retail lore. Join Shelley and Larry Mentzer, COO of Century 21 NYC as they tell the story of the courage it takes to learn from mistakes and protect a legacy. They discuss second acts, managing a balance sheet, competing in physical retail and the dramatic shift in shopper behavior. In a frenzied digital marketplace, they reveal that FOMO is no longer a tactic, it’s a survival strategy. Creating urgency inside a physical store based in lower Manhattan, particularly without an ecommerce safety net, is now a core operating discipline to win Gen Z and rebuild a heritage brand.
Special Guests
Larry Mentzer, COO of Century 21 NYC
Transcript
Shelley E. Kohan (00:03)Hi everybody and thanks for joining our weekly podcast. I’m Shelley Cohan and I’m very excited to welcome Larry Menzner, COO of Century 21 New York City. Welcome Larry.
Larry Mentzer (00:14)Thank you, it’s a pleasure and really an honor to be here. I’m excited.
Shelley E. Kohan (00:18)I know it’s great having you here. We kind of were talking a little bit beforehand how Robin Lewis and you go back many, many years as well as the founders over at Century 21. So it’s great to have you here with us today on Retail Unwrapped. And today we’re going to talk about a probably one of Retail’s most iconic comebacks. And it’s great because Larry, you were at Century 21 pre-pandemic and probably through 2020 and now you’ve come back. So…