Robert Haft
Encyclopedia
Robert Haft, is a successful entrepreneur, primarily in health care, and became a household name in the Washington, DC, Chicago
, San Francisco, Houston, and Los Angeles
markets for his Crown Books
television commercial tagline, "Books cost too much."
After graduating from Harvard with his MBA and Masters in Design, Robert was President of Dart Group, founded national discount book chain Crown Books in 1977, which was based on ideas contained in his Masters thesis, and discount automotive chain Trak Auto in 1981, as well as founded Cabot Morgan real estate company, Dart Financial, and purchased a controlling interest in Shoppers Food Warehouse.
Crown Books enjoyed booming success in the early 1980s and 1990s, and Robert expanded the chain rapidly, and envisioned expanding the name to other lines, including Crown Software and Crown Music, some of which never saw actualization.
In the heat of a bitter divorce, Robert's father, Herbert Haft
, then Chairman of the Dart Group, which owned a controlling share of Crown Books and Trak Auto, fired the Board of Directors of Dart Group, Crown Books and Trak Auto and Robert as the book chain and automotive chains president. Robert counter-sued and won all claims. After Robert left, the new management rocked the 250-store book chain and 300 store automotive chain, and both previously successful chains fell into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
With a portion of the money from the sale of his interest in Dart Group, and proceeds from a 1994 wrongful-termination lawsuit, Robert purchased Phar-Mor
discount drug chain in 1995, founded and grew Vitamins.com which had Internet, retail, and catalog operations, and has lead National Diabetic Pharmacies and other health care businesses.
Sources=
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, San Francisco, Houston, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
markets for his Crown Books
Crown Books
Crown Books Corporation was a bookseller headquartered in Lake Arbor, an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, near Largo and Upper Marlboro. It was founded in the Washington, D.C., metro area by Robert Haft in 1977...
television commercial tagline, "Books cost too much."
After graduating from Harvard with his MBA and Masters in Design, Robert was President of Dart Group, founded national discount book chain Crown Books in 1977, which was based on ideas contained in his Masters thesis, and discount automotive chain Trak Auto in 1981, as well as founded Cabot Morgan real estate company, Dart Financial, and purchased a controlling interest in Shoppers Food Warehouse.
Crown Books enjoyed booming success in the early 1980s and 1990s, and Robert expanded the chain rapidly, and envisioned expanding the name to other lines, including Crown Software and Crown Music, some of which never saw actualization.
In the heat of a bitter divorce, Robert's father, Herbert Haft
Herbert Haft
Herbert H. Haft was a Washington, D.C. based businessman who was famous first for the development of discount stores in the drug store, bookstore, and auto part businesses, and later as a corporate raider...
, then Chairman of the Dart Group, which owned a controlling share of Crown Books and Trak Auto, fired the Board of Directors of Dart Group, Crown Books and Trak Auto and Robert as the book chain and automotive chains president. Robert counter-sued and won all claims. After Robert left, the new management rocked the 250-store book chain and 300 store automotive chain, and both previously successful chains fell into Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
With a portion of the money from the sale of his interest in Dart Group, and proceeds from a 1994 wrongful-termination lawsuit, Robert purchased Phar-Mor
Phar-Mor
Phar-Mor was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael "Mickey" Monus and David S. Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the names Pharmhouse and Rx Place...
discount drug chain in 1995, founded and grew Vitamins.com which had Internet, retail, and catalog operations, and has lead National Diabetic Pharmacies and other health care businesses.
Job History
- National Investment Group, Founder and Chairman (1999-Present)
- Main Street Lender, Founder and Chairman (2004-Present)
- Morgan Noble, Founder and Managing Director (1997-Present)
- Vitamin Superstore, CEO (1997-2000)
- Phar-MorPhar-MorPhar-Mor was a United States chain of discount drug stores, based in Youngstown, Ohio, and founded by Michael "Mickey" Monus and David S. Shapira in 1982. Some of its stores used the names Pharmhouse and Rx Place...
, Chairman and CEO (1995-1997) - Dart GroupDart DrugDart Drug is a now-defunct chain of discount drug stores in the metropolitan Washington, DC region. It was founded in 1955, by Herbert Haft and his wife Gloria in Adams Morgan. The chain expanded to over 100 stores, and became a vehicle by which Herbert Haft engaged in greenmail activities against...
, President (1983-1993) - Trak Auto, Founder and CEO (1981-1993)
- Crown BooksCrown BooksCrown Books Corporation was a bookseller headquartered in Lake Arbor, an unincorporated community in Prince George's County, Maryland, near Largo and Upper Marlboro. It was founded in the Washington, D.C., metro area by Robert Haft in 1977...
, Founder and CEO (1977-1993)
Sources=
- "Herbert and Robert Haft: The Dynasty Behind Dart's Expanding Empire, New York Times, January 25, 1987
- "The Haft Rivalry rides herd on the Internet", Nightscribe.com, 1995
- "'Our Destiny is in Our Hands' Says Phar-Mor CEO Haft, Drug Store News, October 9, 1995
- "Phar-Mor's Haft to Step Down", Drug Store News, September 8, 1997
- "Crown Books Company History", International Directory of Company Histories Volume 21, St James Press, 1998
- "PRIVATE SECTOR; Denouement of a Family Feud?", New York Times, June 20, 1999
- "Robert Haft Biography", University of Pennsylvania Press, September 2007
- "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; Aggressive Discounting Pays Off for Crown Books", New York Times, June 25, 1990
- "The Growing Battle of the Big Bookstores", New York Times, November 8, 1992
- "Jury Rules Haft Wrongfully Dismissed Son", New York Times, September 21, 1994
- "Herbert Haft, Founder of Discount Drugstores, Dies at 84", New York Times, September 4, 2004
- "A Reopening of Wounds in Haft Family Struggle", New York Times, September 12, 1994