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Michele Azar Joins Art Van Furniture as Chief Digital Officer

Furniture World News Desk on 10/17/2017


Art Van Furniture recently announced that Michele Azar, a nationally recognized e-commerce strategist who played a key role in Best Buy’s corporate turnaround, has joined their leadership team as chief digital officer, leading the retailer’s e-commerce expansion. The announcement was made by Kim Yost, president and CEO of Art Van Furniture.

In this newly created position, Azar will play a pivotal role in transforming and growing the Midwest’s largest furniture retailer’s e-commerce division. She started on October 2 and reports directly to Yost.

“All roads lead to the Internet and under Michele’s expert command, we will dramatically expand e-commerce at Art Van Furniture and become a must-visit online marketplace for guests,” said Yost. “She is an unabashed visionary, and her proven experience makes her uniquely qualified to create an easy, delightful experience for online home furnishing shoppers.”

Azar spent over two decades at Best Buy Co., serving most recently as vice president, global e-commerce multichannel fulfillment and growth. She drove innovative new digital business models, improved online customer engagement, and envisioned and scaled the game-changing capability, Buy Online, Ship from Store, which generated material online revenue, unlocked $2 billion in inventory and decreased online out-of-stocks.

“I’m elated to join this forward-thinking Midwest retailer as it sets its sights on a bold e-commerce future,” Azar said. “Art Van is an established brick-and-mortar retail powerhouse poised to combine cutting-edge technology with its innovative culture as it designs and implements an exemplary digital guest experience.”

Azar holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the University of Wisconsin and a Masters of Business Administration from Northwestern University. She recently earned a master’s degree in security technologies and management of technology from the University of Minnesota. 



More about Art Van Furniture: Art Van Furniture is the Midwest's largest furniture retailer. The company operates more than 120 stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa, including freestanding Art Van PureSleep mattress stores, Art Van Flooring stores, Art Van Furniture franchise locations and Scott Shuptrine Interiors, the interior design division of Art Van Furniture, as well as a full-service e-commerce website. Founded in 1959, the company is headquartered in Warren, Mich. Visit artvan.com for more information. For more information, visit artvan.com.