Zigerelli named chairman, CEO of Levitz Furniture
By Clint Engel -- Furniture Today, January 21, 2007
New York — Levitz Furniture has hired retail and consumer products veteran Larry Zigerelli as chairman and CEO, replacing Elliott Wahle and Tom Baumlin.
Zigarelli has been president of Meijer, a grocery and general merchandise retailer with 185 stores in the Midwest and estimated annual revenue of over $10 billion.
Before that, he was executive vice president of corporate development and marketing for drug store giant CVS.
Earlier, in 18 years at Procter & Gamble, Zigerelli held various general management and brand management posts. In 1994, he was named vice president and general manager of Puerto Rico/Caribbean food and beverage, and Latin America marketing and public relations.
He also serves on the board of hardware cooperative True Value Co.
Former CEO Baumlin will remain with the company for a transition period before returning to Levitz owner Prentice Capital, where he worked as an advisor prior to Prentice's acquisition of the 80-store Top 100 chain. He will continue as a Levitz board member. Former Chairman Wahle also will continue with Prentice.
"We're thrilled to attract such a significant talent to the new Levitz Furniture," said Jonathan Duskin, managing director of Prentice. "Larry has deep roots in retail and a skill set ingrained in general management, brand building, marketing and connecting with the customer. We view his appointment as a logical next step in the evolution of the company."
Zigerelli said he's excited about joining the retailer.
"We have all the elements in place upon which to build Levitz' future: a great team of dedicated associates, a great brand and support from Prentice," he said. "Tom Baumlin has built a tremendous foundation from which we can go forward."
Duskin credited Baumlin with successfully navigating Levitz "from the depths of bankruptcy to stability, and placed it on a trajectory for growth.
"He has repaired relationships with our vendors, landlords and customers, has built a world-class executive team, and has managed a seamless relocation of our headquarters to downtown Manhattan," Duskin said.
Levitz liquidation starts today
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