Stephen J. Stephanou
Stephen J. Stephanou is a principal of Crown Retail Services, an affiliate of Crown Acquisitions. Crown Retail Services is a New York City based national retail real estate consulting and brokerage firm. Over the course of his professional career, he has had extensive experience in tenant and landlord representation, contract negotiations, and shopping center and mixed use development in key retail markets within the US.
Stephen has represented international retailers in developing strategies and finding locations, including Jean Paul Gaultier, Faconnable, Jil Sander, Sabo, and Breuer. He has worked on the high-street expansion program for Kate Spade and Jack Spade, including stores in Boston, New York, and Georgetown. Currently, Stephen is one of the co-heads of the team which has developed and executed the real estate roll-out for British retailer Jack Wills, which has entered the US with fourteen stores in the past two years. In addition, he spearheaded the strategic alliance with ING’s European Retail Platform, with the goal of bringing US retailers to ING shopping center properties in Western Europe.
Currently, Stephen has been developing and executing a multi-borough New York City strategy for Nordstrom Rack, which opened its first store in Union Square. Other active clients include Eileen Fisher, The Body Shop, and Brazilian based Chilli Beans, for both high-street and shopping center locations, both locally and nationally.
Recent assignments have included tenants such as, Peek, Glassybaby, Scotch & Soda, and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. In the past, he has also represented Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand Jeans, Cole Haan, Coach, Tiffany & Co., Brooks Brothers, and Hastens, to name a few.
On the agency side, Stephen has represented and leased retail properties on behalf of Lend Lease Real Estate Investments and Madison Marquette in Texas and California; Equitable Life Insurance in San Diego; Morgan Stanley, Brookfield Properties, Jones Lang LaSalle, Marriott Hotels, and Walton Street Capital in New York; DRA Advisors in Pennsylvania, as well as private owners, including Crown Acquisitions.
Prior to entering consulting and brokerage, Stephen was Senior Vice President of Retail Development for Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, Inc. (previously The Yarmouth Group). He began his career as an attorney in Los Angeles, later joining Federated Department Stores as in-house counsel. He was subsequently Group Vice President of Real Estate, for Macy’s.
He is a licensed Real Estate Broker in New York, an active member of the International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Retail Stores Committee of the Real Estate Board of New York.
Stephen graduated with honors from UCLA and received his Juris Doctor from Loyola University of Los Angeles, where he was a member of the Law Review.