MANCHESTER, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bob’s Discount Furniture today announced that Michael Skirvin has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. He has served as President and Chief Operating Officer since 2011. Skirvin succeeds Ted English, who has overseen the Company’s impressive expansion from 27 stores in 7 states when he joined in 2006 to 69 stores in 12 states across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest today. English, who has been elevated to Executive Chairman, will remain actively involved with the Company.
Bob’s Discount Furniture, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, provides a wide variety of high quality furniture, mattresses, and home accents at attractive prices. A compelling “everyday low price” business model, unique and enjoyable store experience, and customer-focused culture has made Bob’s Discount Furniture the 14th-largest player in the furniture retail industry. The Company has achieved tremendous success entering new markets, including Philadelphia in 2014, Pittsburgh in 2015, and Chicago in 2016.
"The last four years at Bob's Discount Furniture have been the most rewarding of my career. Our team wakes up every day focused on providing value, transparency and helpful support to our customers as they furnish their homes, and we do it with an overarching commitment to excellence," said Skirvin. "I look forward to advancing the remarkable growth we have had in our brick and mortar stores, and on our mybobs.com platform, as we continue to deliver on our promise of value and quality in the years ahead."
Skirvin brings over 30 years of retail experience to the Chief Executive Officer role. Prior to joining Bob’s Discount Furniture in 2011, Skirvin held a variety of leadership roles at TJX, including serving as COO of the Company’s A.J. Wright store division from 2007 – 2010, and holding leadership roles in real estate, finance, and business development.
“Mike is an exceptional and talented retail executive who has played an indispensable role over the last four years in helping build Bob’s Discount Furniture into a rapidly growing value retailer with a highly differentiated concept that has the potential for national reach,” said English. “He is deeply committed to building upon the strong foundation of honesty, integrity and customer loyalty that we have cultivated throughout our organization over many years.. I look forward to continuing to partner with Mike on the next phase of the Bob’s Discount Furniture journey.”
“Mike’s elevation to CEO is an exciting milestone for Bob’s Discount Furniture,” said Tricia Patrick of Bain Capital Private Equity, who has served as a Director at the Company since the firm’s investment in 2014. “He has been instrumental to the success of the business during his tenure here. His strong leadership, deep retail expertise, and relentless focus on bringing great values to furniture consumers make him the ideal leader for this next phase of growth at Bob’s Discount Furniture. We would also like to express our deepest admiration and gratitude to Ted for his vital contributions over the last 10 years to Bob’s Discount Furniture, which would not be the business it is today without his leadership. The Board of Directors is excited to continue to partner with these two very experienced and committed executives in their new roles.”
About Bob’s Discount Furniture
Bob’s Discount Furniture provides a wide variety of quality furnishings – including living room furniture, bedroom furniture, dining room furniture, office furniture and home accents – at everyday low prices. The stores also offer a unique and enjoyable shopping experience featuring cafes in each store with free gourmet coffee, ice cream, cookies and candy. Since 1991, Bob’s has built strong customer loyalty by offering the highest-value home furnishings at the lowest possible prices. With 69 furniture stores located throughout New England, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia, the Manchester, Conn.-based company has become the 14th-largest U.S. furniture chain and proudly holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Bob’s is committed to supporting communities where its stores are located through a variety of charitable giving efforts. Bob’s Discount Furniture Charitable Foundation has anchored the company’s philanthropic work for more than 15 years. In addition, the Bob’s Outreach program was created as a separate entity to help schools and children-related charities. The company donates more than $2 million to charities through these programs each year. For more information on Bob’s charitable programs, visit http://www.bobscares.org/, and follow us on Twitter @MyBobs and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MyBobs.