Furniture Village has announced that Greg Suthern is to join its board in the newly-created role of COO. Greg brings over 20 years of high-level experience to Furniture Village, having risen through the ranks of DFS to head up the retailer's marketing, then as COO of Dreams, and, most recently, as CEO of Studio Moderna, which counts Octaspring and Dormeo amongst its leading International brands.
His appointment comes at a time of renewed expansion for Furniture Village, following a £6m investment from The Business Growth Fund and a return to higher levels of profitability of the business over the past two years. In addition to a series of existing store revamps, the company 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 e-commerce platform.
Peter Harrison, CEO of Furniture Village, comments: “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 benefiting from his unique experience and undoubted expertise during this exciting period of our growth.
"As we continue to scale up all aspects of the business, it is the perfect time for Greg to bring his skills and insights – as well as good humour, an essential ingredient of a good fit! His reputation within the industry has long preceded him, and I am personally thrilled that we will be working closely together to realise the enormous growth potential that exists within our strong brand and unique market position!”
Greg comments: “I admire 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.”
