Marvin Traub
Encyclopedia
Marvin Traub is a prominent business executive in the retail sector known for his impact on merchandising and marketing. Traub was CEO and President of Bloomingdale's
for twenty-two years leaving in 1992 to found his own consulting firm, Marvin Traub Associates. In 1994, Marvin Traub Associates entered into a joint venture with retail-focused investment banking firm, Financo, Inc.
and operates both under the Traub name as well as Financo Global Consulting.
Traub is the author of two books. In 1993, Traub wrote Like No Other Store...:: The Bloomingdale's Legend and the Revolution in American Marketing about his tenure at Bloomingdale's
. In 2008, he wrote Marvin Traub: Like No Other Career, a coffee table book
that also profiles his works since leaving Bloomingdale's
.
to Sam and Bea Traub. Traub's father was an executive of a corset company and his mother a saleswoman at Bonwit Teller
.
Traub graduated from Harvard University
in 1947, although his studies were interrupted by service in Europe during World War II. He then attended Harvard Business School
, from which he graduated in 1949.
, where he remained through 1992. After leaving Bloomingdales in 1992, Traub founded his own consulting firm, Marvin Traub Associates. In 1994, Marvin Traub Associates entered into a joint venture with retail-focused investment banking firm, Financo, Inc.
and operates both under the Traub name as well as Financo Global Consulting.
from 1988 to 1992. He served on the Visiting Committee of the Harvard School of Public Health
. Traub is also Chairman of SD Retail Consulting, which is a unit of The Hilco Organization.
Traub was the recipient of The Gold Medal of the National Retail Federation in 1991 as well as the Légion d’Honneur and Ordre national du Mérite
from France and was awarded the Commendatore de la Republic
by Italy.
in 1942 and is the chair emerita of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.
Traub had three children; Andrew (formerly an executive at Macy's
), James
(a journalist) and Margaret (who founded and runs the lighting company Adesso).
from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
for twenty-two years leaving in 1992 to found his own consulting firm, Marvin Traub Associates. In 1994, Marvin Traub Associates entered into a joint venture with retail-focused investment banking firm, Financo, Inc.
Financo, Inc.
Financo, Inc. is a New York-based boutique investment bank focused on the merchandising and retail sector, with offices also in Los Angeles and London...
and operates both under the Traub name as well as Financo Global Consulting.
Traub is the author of two books. In 1993, Traub wrote Like No Other Store...:: The Bloomingdale's Legend and the Revolution in American Marketing about his tenure at Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
. In 2008, he wrote Marvin Traub: Like No Other Career, a coffee table book
Coffee table book
A coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for...
that also profiles his works since leaving Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
.
Early life
Marvin Traub was born on April 14, 1925 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Sam and Bea Traub. Traub's father was an executive of a corset company and his mother a saleswoman at Bonwit Teller
Bonwit Teller
Bonwit Teller was a department store in New York City founded by Paul Bonwit in 1895 at Sixth Avenue and 18th Street. In 1897 Edmund D. Teller was admitted to the partnership and the store moved to 23rd Street, East of Sixth Avenue...
.
Traub graduated from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1947, although his studies were interrupted by service in Europe during World War II. He then attended Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School is the graduate business school of Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, United States and is widely recognized as one of the top business schools in the world. The school offers the world's largest full-time MBA program, doctoral programs, and many executive...
, from which he graduated in 1949.
Career
In 1978, Traub was named CEO of U.S. based retailer, Bloomingdale'sBloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
, where he remained through 1992. After leaving Bloomingdales in 1992, Traub founded his own consulting firm, Marvin Traub Associates. In 1994, Marvin Traub Associates entered into a joint venture with retail-focused investment banking firm, Financo, Inc.
Financo, Inc.
Financo, Inc. is a New York-based boutique investment bank focused on the merchandising and retail sector, with offices also in Los Angeles and London...
and operates both under the Traub name as well as Financo Global Consulting.
Other affiliations and awards
Traub was a Trustee of the American Health Foundation (AHF) between August 1975 and February 1978. He was the President of Bloomingdale's from 1978 to 1992, and Vice Chairman of Federated Department StoresFederated Department Stores
Macy's, Inc. is a department store holding company and owner of Macy's and Bloomingdale's department stores. Macy's Inc.'s stores specialize mostly in retail clothing, jewelery, watches, dinnerware, and furniture....
from 1988 to 1992. He served on the Visiting Committee of the Harvard School of Public Health
Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University, located in the Longwood Area of the Boston, Massachusetts neighborhood of Mission Hill, which is next to Harvard Medical School. HSPH is considered a significant school focusing on health in the...
. Traub is also Chairman of SD Retail Consulting, which is a unit of The Hilco Organization.
Traub was the recipient of The Gold Medal of the National Retail Federation in 1991 as well as the Légion d’Honneur and Ordre national du Mérite
Ordre National du Mérite
The Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
from France and was awarded the Commendatore de la Republic
Italian orders of merit
There are five orders of knighthood awarded in recognition of service to the Italian Republic. Below these sit a number of other decorations, associated and otherwise, that do not confer knighthoods...
by Italy.
Personal life
While at Harvard, he married Lee Laufer on September 2, 1948. Traub's wife had studied dance under Martha GrahamMartha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
in 1942 and is the chair emerita of the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance.
Traub had three children; Andrew (formerly an executive at Macy's
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
), James
James Traub
James Traub, born in 1954, is a contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, where he has worked since 1998. From 1994 to 1997, he was a staff writer for The New Yorker. He has also written for The New York Review of Books, The Atlantic Monthly, National Review and Foreign Affairs...
(a journalist) and Margaret (who founded and runs the lighting company Adesso).
Further reading
The book Kindred Spirits: Harvard Business School's Extraordinary Class of 1949 and How they Transformed American Business by David Callahan profiles the Harvard MBA class of 1949 and its impact on business in America. Traub is profiled in the book for his role in the development of Bloomingdale'sBloomingdale's
Bloomingdale's is an American department store owned by Macy's, Inc. .Bloomingdale's started in 1861 when brothers Joseph and Lyman G. Bloomingdale started selling hoop-skirts in their Ladies Notions' Shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side...
from the late 1970s through the early 1990s.