Most Ingenious Retail Deal of the Year
REBNY
The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) announced on Wednesday the winners of its annual Retail Deal of the Year Awards, recognizing notable retail real estate transactions and projects across NYC.
The 28th annual event drew about 150 members and guests and was held at The Town Hall by Skylight in Midtown.
This year’s winners included three projects in separate categories. The Most Ingenious Retail Deal of the Year went to Sean Moran, Patrick O’Rourke, Catherine Merck and Steven Soutendijk of Cushman & Wakefield for their work on Urban Outfitters’ transaction at 575 Fifth Ave.
The deal required convincing Urban Outfitters to move from a corner to inline and embrace a store layout that required creative vertical transportation solutions, tight timelines, ADA issues, MEP upgrades, and doing all of that while the building was in the process of being sold.
“Winning one of REBNY’s prestigious Retail Deal of the Year awards for the third consecutive year is an incredible honor and a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team,” Moran said. “More importantly, it reflects the trust our clients continue to place in us and the strong partnerships that we’ve built together.”
Merck added, “We’re proud to work alongside our clients to navigate some of the most complex challenges in New York City real estate and develop thoughtful, creative solutions that deliver positive outcomes for all parties involved. We’re grateful for their continued confidence in our team and honored to see that work recognized once again.”
Jeffrey Roseman and Drew Weiss of Newmark won for Most Impactful Retail Deal of the Year for securing Audemars Piguet’s flagship at 785 Fifth Avenue.
The REBNY Retail Development/Project of the Year went to Jeffrey Kleiner of Daija US for his work on the Waldorf Astoria New York redevelopment. The award recognizes developers, architects, contractors and consultants involved in significant retail-focused projects.
“The range of this year’s winning projects speaks to what makes New York’s retail market so dynamic,” REBNY President James Whelan said. “We are proud to recognize the professionals behind these deals and grateful to all of the nominees, judges and sponsors who continue to make this competition such an important part of REBNY’s retail community.”
The awards have been held for nearly three decades and recognize professionals involved in NYC’s retail real estate industry.
Additional information on the 2026 awards, including this year’s nominees and submissions, is on REBNY’s website.
