Jeff Winick files for personal bankruptcy

Longstanding top retail broker owes nearly $10M in taxes

Winick Realty Group CEO Jeff Winick
Winick Realty Group CEO Jeff Winick

Jeff Winick, the CEO and founder of Winick Realty Group and one of New York’s top retail brokers, has filed for personal bankruptcy.

In Chapter 7 bankruptcy filings recorded Aug. 27, Winick claims to have $530,000 in assets and $9.7 million in back taxes and fines owed to the Internal Revenue Service and the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. He declared $122,800 in monthly income.

Over his career, Winick has brokered over 1 million square feet of retail leases in New York, representing tenants such as Duane Reade, AT&T and Starbucks as well as major landlords like the Durst Organization. His 50-agent firm has leased more than 15 million square feet over the past 30 years, regularly featuring in The Real Deal’s ranking of top retail brokerages. Winick also became a prominent figure on the real estate party circuit, hosting annual poolside extravaganzas during ICSC Las Vegas that attracted retail real estate’s biggest movers and shakers.

PincusCo first reported the bankruptcy filing. In 2018, Winick landed on the state’s list of the 250 biggest tax debtors, with the state claiming he owed $1.2 million.

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Property that Winick claims as exempt from his bankruptcy include two Rolex Watches, which he claims are worth a combined $5,000, and furniture worth $10,000. The filings also state that he has nothing in retirement savings.

He leases a unit at the luxury River Tower, located at 420 East 54th Street.

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