Tom Little Joins Broyhill As VP Sales/Merchandising

Furniture World Magazine

Broyhill Home Furnishings has named Tom Little as vice president of sales/merchandising, a newly created position. He reports to Anthony Teague, Broyhill vice president of upholstery merchandising. “Our upholstery program is experiencing explosive growth,” says Jeff Cook, Broyhill president. “We created Tom’s position to be sure we continue to introduce the right product at the right time and to do that by directly integrating the feedback of the sales team with the creative juices of the merchandising team. Tom is one of the few individuals in the industry who has a demonstrated track record of combining both sales and merchandising skill sets and doing it well. He will be a powerful addition to our leadership team.” “Tom has an unprecedented reputation in the industry as someone who has his finger on the pulse of what’s happening at retail,” Teague says. “He has developed solid relationships among retailers because he listens carefully, analyzes the needs of his customers and provides quick, reliable solutions. He is well connected, knowledgeable, hardworking and trustworthy. “ Little will work closely with Teague and Deitra Smith, merchandise manager – upholstery, to better penetrate other product categories, continue to diversify the upholstery presentation and to broaden the Broyhill customer base. He will play an integral role in the company’s Design Center of Excellence, which focuses on the development of more relevant, coordinated product across all categories and targets ways to help the company’s retail partners sell increasingly greater volumes of Broyhill furniture. Previously, Little served as vice president of sales for Craftmaster Furniture, overseeing sales, marketing and merchandising for their upholstery product line. His other industry experience includes sales for Bassett Upholstery. “The industry already has begun to take notice of our upholstery design and production, and this will make us an even more formidable competitor,” Cook says. “It is so rewarding to build a great team, provide the environment for success and then get out of the way and watch them succeed. Tom will help us in our return to dominance in every product category as we become an industry-leading partner all the way to the consumers’ front door.” Broyhill Home Furnishings offers wooden case goods and upholstery for every room in the home, including the living room, dining room, bedroom, family room, home entertainment area, home office and youth bedroom. Sold in retail stores in all 50 states and 35 foreign countries, Broyhill is one of the largest home furnishings producers in the world. For over 100 years, Broyhill continues to be the most recognized furniture brand. Headquartered in Lenoir, N.C., Broyhill is a subsidiary of Furniture Brands International (NYSE:FBN), which produces, sources and markets its products under six of the best-known brand names in the industry – Broyhill, Lane, Thomasville, Henredon, Drexel Heritage, and Maitland-Smith.