Furniture Village announced that Greg Suthern is to join its board in the newly created role of Chief Operating Officer. Suthern brings over 20 years of high-level experience to the independent furniture retailer. CEO Peter Harrison commented on this in a statement:
“His reputation within the industry has long preceded him, and I am personally thrilled that we will be working closely together”.
Having headed up DFS‘s marketing, Suthern then took on the role as COO of Dreams and most recently CEO of Studio Moderna, which counts Octaspring and Dormeo among some of its leading international brands.
Suthern said that he admires the way Furniture Village has “stayed true to its founding principles: emerging from a challenging period for retail with integrity intact and in a perfect position to support increasingly confident consumers wanting to invest in quality for the long-term. I‘m joining an exceptionally strong team at Furniture Village, and look forward to being part of the next chapter in the growth of this much-loved British business.”
The company‘s appointment of Suthern coincides with its renewed expansion, following a £6m investment from The Business Growth Fund and its restored cost-effectiveness, having experienced high levels of profitability over the past two years.
Harrison mentioned Furniture Villages raise, saying: “This is a special time for us, having restored our profitability back to historical levels, attained the coveted position of being bank debt free and secured the support of BGF, we are back on the expansion trail. We are therefore delighted to welcome Greg to our management team and look forward to benefitting from his unique experience and undoubted expertise during this exciting period of our growth.”
In addition to a series of existing store revamps, the retailer has plans for four or five new store openings a year , together with major investments in a new ERP ‘front and back of house‘ system, and an enhanced digital presence and ecommerce platform.
