Who’s in the news this week

Welcome to our weekly roundup of employee comings and goings and other people-related news across the home furnishings industry. Here’s the latest:

************************

Arteriors announced that Gregory G. Heller will join the company as its new vice president of product, and Robin Daniel will join as its new vice president of Marketing.

Spanning companies from Thomasville to Baker Furniture and, most recently, Bernhardt Furniture, Heller brings with him more than 25 years of merchandising, product development, and creative leadership experience to the role.

Daniel joins Arteriors with more than a decade of experience in luxury home and textile brands, including Perennials and Sutherland, and most recently, as the Director of Marketing at Peacock Alley.

************************

Veteran furniture manufacturers’ sales representative Robert “Bob” Petril Sr. passed away in Bradenton, Fla., on March 30 at the age of 85.

Born in West Philadelphia in July 1939, Petril began his furniture career in the 1960s as a sales rep at Broyhill. From there, he went on to represent Thomasville Furniture for more than 16 years in the greater Philadelphia area before becoming a Bernhardt rep for more than 18 years and eventually finishing his career with Hickory White.

************************

Kohl’s recently ousted CEO, Ashley Buchanan, is facing a financial penalty after being let go for cause on April 30.

In accordance with the terms of his contract, Buchanan must reimburse the company a pro rata portion of the $2.5 million signing incentive he received when he officially joined the company on Jan. 15. He must also forfeit all equity awards he received from Kohl’s.

Buchanan’s contract was terminated after an investigation conducted by outside counsel determined he had violated company policies by directing Kohl’s to engage in vendor transactions that involved undisclosed conflicts of interest, the company reported.

In an SEC filing on May 1, Kohl’s said Buchanan had directed the company to do business with someone with whom he has a personal relationship, adding that the terms were “highly unusual” and “favorable to the vendor.” Buchanan also authorized a multi-million dollar consulting agreement with an entity whose team included the same individual. In neither case did he disclose to the company the nature of the relationship, Kohl’s said.

The Wall Street Journal has identified the individual as Chandra Holt, describing her as Buchanan’s romantic partner. The two reportedly met when they both worked for Walmart. Beyond Inc. hired Holt last year to serve as CEO of the Bed Bath & Beyond business. She was let go after four months as Beyond reworked its leadership organization.

Kohl’s stated that Buchanan’s ouster is unrelated to Kohl’s performance, financial reporting and results of operations and did not involve any other company personnel.