by HIGH POINT — Luxury home furnishings manufacturer John-Richard has hired Scott Smith as chief merchandising officer.
He comes to the company from Samuel Lawrence Furniture, where he was president for about four and a half years. Before that, he was executive vice president at Vanguard Furniture and also had been president and chief executive officer at Caracole Home. Previously, he was president of merchandising at Markor International Home Furnishings Co. and also had been vice president at Legacy Classic/Modern.
He also has previously held other executive positions in the industry including as vice president of sales at both Drexel Heritage and Davis Furniture and before that was merchandise manager and sales manager at Lexington Home Brands. Earlier in his career, he was merchandise manager and sales manager at U.S. Furniture Industries.
In his new position, he will lead the merchandise and marketing divisions at John-Richard and also will oversee product design, brand development, marketing and sales. He fills a role previously held by Jonathan Parks, who left the company in January for a position as senior vice president of design and merchandising at Ballard Designs.
Smith reports to Alan Galbraith, chief executive officer.
“Scott is a strong merchant with a keen sense of style and design,” Galbraith said. “From his extensive experience, he brings a deep background in merchandising, marketing and sales, including familiarity working with company-owned and independent factories overseas.”
“In our ongoing pursuit of design excellence at John-Richard, we’re excited for Scott to leverage our internal design and production capabilities, as well as those of our curated network of artisanal vendors,” Galbraith added. “I’m confident he will further our reputation for delivering an outstanding product experience for our dealer and interior designer customers, and that he will additionally expand the brand’s marketing initiatives.”
