Mike Allen, Home Furnishings VP, to Retire in January

By Alan Wolf

BrandSource has announced the pending retirement of Home Furnishings Vice President and industry veteran Mike Allen.

Allen plans to step down at the end of January 2020, after serving the members for the past 24 years. He will be succeeded by Seth Weisblatt, formerly Chief Marketing and Information Officer and an Executive VP at Sam’s Appliance and Furniture, an AVB member in Fort Worth, TX.

Allen grew up in the furniture business, working in a family-owned store while attending college. He went on to become a regional director of the National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) before joining BrandSource in 1996 as furniture coordinator. He was later promoted to general manager of home furnishings and then Vice President, with responsibility for the group’s bedding and residential furniture business.

During his time at Sam’s Appliance and Furniture, Weisblatt variously managed all vendor relations, led marketing and IT and helped return the company to profitability following a change in ownership. He also served as VP of Digital Marketing for Ashley Furniture Industries, where he helped furniture retailers modernize their marketing efforts.

In his new post at BrandSource, Weisblatt will work with home furnishings vendors on both product and marketing programs, reflecting the integral role that marketing now plays within the category.

Allen agreed to stay on through January to make the transition seamless and to share his industry knowledge with Weisblatt.

“We wish Mike well in his well-deserved retirement,” said AVB CEO Jim Ristow. “We thank him for his many years of service and are excited to welcome Seth to the BrandSource team.”

YSN is published by BrandSource parent company AVB Inc.

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