ST. LOUIS, Mo., Jan. 22, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Furniture Brands International, Inc. (NYSE:FBN) today announced that Alexander W. Hodges has been named Chief Marketing Officer, effective January 22, 2008.
Ralph P. Scozzafava, Vice-Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Furniture Brands, commented, "Building our brands and winning with the consumer are both critical elements of our strategic plan. In this newly created role as Chief Marketing Officer, Alex will work with the talented and experienced marketing leaders at our Brands to drive brand equity in the marketplace and to build our brand franchisees. This coordinated effort will also enable us to work more closely with our retail partners to enhance our presence in the marketplace."
"Alex has outstanding marketing experience with some of America's most successful branded companies. Their success is based on the same elements in Furniture Brands' strategic plan: using consumer insights to drive product development, leveraging the power of national accounts, and matching our strengths to customer markets and categories. We have a great portfolio of brands, and Alex will lead our core team of brand marketing talent to build their presence in the marketplace. He will be a key driver of several of our strategic initiatives, and I am pleased he has agreed to become part of the Furniture Brands leadership team," Scozzafava concluded.
"I have been very impressed with the strategy that Ralph and the management team are executing at Furniture Brands," Hodges said. "I look forward to working with the brand leaders to develop programs that leverage our strengths and drive sales and improved profitability."
Mr. Hodges' entire career has been in marketing, serving most recently as Vice President of Marketing for Russell Athletic, a division of Russell Corporation, leading all marketing and retail merchandising operations for that division. Before joining Russell, he served in roles of increasing responsibility at Eastman Kodak, and prior to that at SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline). He is an honors graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
About Furniture Brands
Furniture Brands International (NYSE:FBN) is a vertically integrated operating company that is one of the nation's leading designers, manufacturers, and retailers of home furnishings. With annual sales in excess of $2 billion, it markets through a wide range of retail channels, from mass merchant stores to single-brand and independent dealers to specialized interior designers. Furniture Brands serves its customers through some of the best known and most respected brands in the furniture industry, including Broyhill, Lane, Thomasville, Drexel Heritage, Henredon, Pearson, Hickory Chair, Laneventure, and Maitland-Smith.
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