Burt Tansky, whose leadership roles at Saks Fifth Fifth, Bergdorf Goodman and most significantly the Neiman Marcus Group earned him the industry-wide reputation as “Mr. Luxury,” died Sunday morning after a bout with cancer. Tansky was 87.
Tansky got his first job at age 12, worked for 60 years straight and retired 15 years ago at age 72. His 49 years in retailing took him cross country, with his earlier years spent at department stores such as Kaufmann’s and Filene’s before rising to run America’s foremost luxury stores. He served as president of Saks Fifth Avenue, chief executive officer of Bergdorf Goodman, and CEO of Neiman Marcus, eventually being promoted to president and CEO of the entire Neiman Marcus Group, which included Bergdorf’s and Horchow.
It was at Neiman Marcus Group where Tansky really made his mark and established his reputation as Mr. Luxury, catapulting the store as the world’s leading arbiter of luxury, assiduously catering to the world’s richest. Tansky was also a mentor to many, maintained a firm but caring approach to those he managed, and in front of an audience, be it at a fundraiser or award ceremony, would warm up the crowd with his wit.
He was also among the earliest believers in the internet as a viable channel for selling luxury at a time when the industry was full of doubt. But he relished being in stores, watching the selling action and interaction between customers, sales associates and the products. While touring Neiman’s Northpark store in Dallas years ago, he told WWD, “I’m a shoe dog,” as he admired a $2,300 Christian Louboutin above-the-knee boot with a zipper. “It’s amazing. It zips down all the way to the heel. I bet you we will sell all the Louboutin.”
Most of Tansky’s 14 years running Neiman’s was marked by tremendous growth, though when the Great Recession hit in 2008 business became challenging.
Karen Katz and Burt Tansky
Steve Eichner
“Burt was a remarkable mentor. He was so good to me,” said Karen Katz, who succeeded Tansky as CEO after he retired in 2010. “He had such good direct feedback. He made me a better merchant and a better leader.
“One of things that made him so unique was that he knew he could not run a company without strong women and men around him, but he also knew there had to be a balance in their lives, particularly with women if they had kids. He enabled people to have a personal life.”
On his first day on the job as Neiman’s CEO in 1996, he met Katz at the Northpark store in Dallas where she was the general manager at the time.
“We walked the store together. We immediately clicked,” Katz recalled. “He had a way of connecting with people. He could stand up in front of any group and tell funny stories. Even though he looked buttoned up in his Brioni suits and Charvet ties, he made people feel very much at ease around him. When men walked into his office, he would shake their hands, then flip their ties to see if they were from Neiman Marcus. If they weren’t, he would send someone down to get some Neiman Marcus ties, and sell them the ties. He was always doing things like that..He united his team, the designers, and the customers on a vision that there were no limits to luxury. I don’t know who came up with that name Mr. Luxury for Burt, but it really stuck.”
“Burt was a like a second father to me. He’s been in my life for 25 years,” said Brendan Hoffman, the former CEO of Wolverine Worldwide, Vince, Lord & Taylor and neimanmarcus.com, and now cofounder and CEO of P180. “Burt was a role model personally and professionally. I spoke with him regularly, and up until his last day he was always interested in my life and my family and how he could help. He was one-of-a-kind.”
Tansky gave Hoffman his big break, making him CEO of Neiman Marcus Direct in 2002. “Burt saw something in me. He thought I was the right person for taking this fledgling e-commerce business on a new path. But he also always made sure I left in time for dinner,” Hoffman said.
He recalled that 20 years ago, “Burt, myself and Jeff Bezos were in a meeting when Amazon was trying to break into luxury, and Burt said, ‘I have lots of wealthy friends and they all shop on Amazon.’ Burt had the foresight to recognize the changing consumer, and to see that luxury would work on e-commerce. When I left Neiman’s to become CEO of Lord & Taylor in 2008, we talked every week. He would still press me on business and opportunities to drive more sales.
“Burt loved retail. He loved the action in stores,” Hoffman added. “Whether it was Neiman’s or TJMaxx, he loved seeing how consumers were reacting to the merchandise and the sales associates.”
“Burt was the quintessential “merchants’ merchant,” said Muriel Gonzalez, the president of The Vitamin Shoppe, and a former Bergdorf’s and Saks executive. “He always raised the bar on how high is high. He loved every category of product – picture frames, fragrance, handbags, shoes, or designer apparel. He was passionate about driving business but also about all the people who became his friends in the business. Intensely curious, he led the way for so many. I treasure the time I had with him as a young merchant at Saks, then later at Bergdorf Goodman. He was a marvelous teacher.”
Tansky was the recipient of numerous industry awards and honors, among them the Gold Medal Award from the National Retail Federation, and he was appointed as a Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur by the French government for his support of French brands. He was also very active in charitable and community causes, including Jupiter Hospital and Cancer Center in Florida, Temple Judea in Palm Beach Gardens, and The University of Pittsburgh, which he graduated from.
Tansky was the son of Harry and Jeannette Tansky, immigrants who escaped religious persecution and settled in Pittsburgh, Pa. His father was a hair dresser and his mother, a homemaker. He is survived by his wife Rita; children Hyla and Michael; his son-in-law Eric Weiss; daughter-in-law, Ellen; his sister Eva Blum and her husband Norman Wolmark, and three grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held Tuesday at 10 a.m. at Temple Judea, 4311 Hood Road in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
