Art Van Furniture in Warren Thursday announced Ronald Boire will join the company as president and CEO, effective April 30. Boire will succeed Kim Yost, who recently announced his retirement after nine years with the company. In January 2017, the company was sold by the late Art Van Elslander to Thomas H. Lee Partners, a private equity firm in Boston.
“Ron is a tremendous addition to the Art Van family,” says Yost. “He is a charismatic and dynamic leader who has an innate passion for the customer and shares our love for product and for sales. He also brings war stories from many other sectors of retail, which will be invaluable as Art Van continues to transform the business into the leading all-home omni-channel retailer in the United States. I have the utmost confidence in Ron’s ability to lead the Art Van, Levin, and Wolf brands through the next chapter of growth and success.”
Boire has more than 35 years of experience in the retail industry and has served in senior executive positions, including president and CEO, at a variety of retail and consumer electronics companies, including Sony Electronics Inc., Best Buy, Toys R Us Inc., Brookstone Inc., and Sears Canada Inc. He was CEO at Barnes and Noble Inc. His most recent position was that of principal at The Upland Group, an advisory firm specializing in the development, leadership, and execution of transformational strategies for retail and consumer product companies.
“I am very excited about the opportunity to join Art Van,” says Boire. “The furniture and mattress industry is going through a time of significant change, and the Art Van portfolio of brands are uniquely positioned to capitalize on the opportunities present in this evolving landscape. I am incredibly impressed by the deep customer loyalty that has come from the decades of history in each brand’s local communities. I look forward to partnering with our highly talented team of associates and partners to build on that strong foundation, as we strive to deliver an industry-leading guest experience.”
Boire has also served as a director of retail industry organizations, including the Retail Council of Canada and the Retail Industry Leaders Association. He is a co-founder of the Ferguson Noonan Foundation, a charity focused on educating under-privileged children, and has been a board member of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He was a recipient of the Anti-Defamation League’s S. David Feir International Humanitarian Award. Boire has a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University and the London Business School.
Art Van Furniture was founded in 1959 and operates 185 stores in nine states.
