La-Z-Boy Appoints Director Of Furniture Galleries Marketing

Furniture World Magazine

La-Z-Boy Residential has appointed Donna Smith to the newly created position of director of Furniture Galleries marketing. In this role, Smith will lead the strategic development and continuous improvement of the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries® marketing program to help build the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries brand, drive traffic and increase sales. Smith will report directly to Mark Wagner, vice president of store development and marketing. “We are committed to giving our La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries dealers the marketing programs and tools that will drive traffic into their stores and help close sales,” said Wagner. “Donna is a proven retail marketer with a track record that shows she understands how to reach consumers, and we are confident that her team will provide increasingly dynamic marketing initiatives to reach our target customers.” In addition to directing the La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries marketing program, Smith also will lead dealer consultation and program execution. Smith joins La-Z-Boy with more than 12 years experience in consumer and retail marketing, including expertise in the competitive food service and entertainment industries. Her background includes strategic planning, local store marketing program development and execution, database marketing, dealer group marketing, business trend analysis, conception and rollout of new product lines, media buying and marketing research. Most recently, Smith was vice president of marketing at Hoosier Park Racetrack, where she led traffic increases of more than 20 percent. Prior to that, she was the president and owner of Marketing Fastrak, a local marketing consulting firm focused on driving sales growth. Smith spent five years as director of marketing at RTM Restaurant Group, the largest and top-performing Arby’s franchise operation in the nation. Reporting to Smith are Terrie Skully, manager of Furniture Galleries marketing programs and Jennifer Sims, Furniture Galleries marketing specialist, as well as two managers of Furniture Galleries marketing planning, who have yet to be hired. Smith earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University. She currently resides in Morristown, Ind., with her husband, Tony, and two children, Heather and Ryan. About La-Z-Boy: Headquartered in Monroe, Mich., La-Z-Boy is North America’s largest manufacturer of upholstered furniture and the world’s leading producer of reclining chairs. The company manufactures a full line of products for the living room and family room, including the company’s world-famous recliners, reclining sofas and love seats, sleep sofas, modular furniture and leather upholstery, as well as stationary sofas, love seats and chairs. It is a division of La-Z-Boy Incorporated (NYSE, PCX: LZB), one of the nation’s largest furniture manufacturers and marketers.