Ken Kolker Dies in New York

Kenneth Kolker, veteran of department store merchandising for nearly 50 years, died this week in New York, 11 days short of his 90th birthday.

His retail career began right after World War II, in the training program at Abraham & Straus. Over the next several decades, he continued to move upwards as the department store sector was roiled by mergers, acquisitions and failures. Much of his career was spent at May Department Stores Co. (St. Louis), where he became president of May Merchandising and chairman of May Department Stores Intl.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, “Kolker . . .  is credited with developing key item strategies, aggressive promotions and launching activewear roughly 25 years before the industry began widely adopting the category. He was among the first to seize upon cashmere as a major seller as well as leather furniture, both elevating May’s appeal.

“He was instrumental in forging strong brand alliances, and was a master of key promotions at key times on key items. He had a balanced approach to the business,” said former Liz Claiborne executive Hank Sinkel.

“We worked together almost 25 years at May Co.,” former chairman and ceo David Farrell told Women’s Wear. “Much of May’s success belongs to Ken Kolker. He was May’s secret weapon. I originally tried to recruit [Allen] Questrom, but he was interested in other things, like working for Bullock’s. But he gave me Ken’s name and said, ‘He’s your man.’ Questrom was right.”

“I knew him for 48 years,” said Questrom. “He really understood that this business is about people, relationships, which is something people say all the time, but he lived it.”