Ira Fishman Joins Anatomic Global

October 13, 2010  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on October 14, 2010

Ira Fishman has joined memory foam mattress manufacturer Anatomic Global in the new position of executive vice president of sales.

Fishman, who in a 23-year career went from sales associate to vice president of merchandising for bedding retailer Sleepy's, is responsible for development and launch of Anatomic Global's new retail programs, working with new retail partners and providing sales support to Anatomic Global retailers. Fishman is based in New York.

"Ira played a critical role in the building of the nation's largest sleep products retailer because he has a keen sense of product merchandising and possibly more importantly, tremendous insight into what motivates the customer to buy," said Corona-Calif.-based Anatomic Global CEO David Farley. "We are excited that he will be working with our dealers as a resource to help them generate more traffic and sales."

Fishman was recruited to the company by President Jeff Scorziell, himself a former retailer who had admired Fishman's work for many years.

"Bringing on board someone of Ira's stature affirms Anatomic Global's commitment to our retailer partners," Scorziell said. "We believe that having strong retailer experience to back up our merchandizing and training efforts will help support our retailers to maximize profitability with our products."

Fishman began his career in the sleep products industry as a sales associate at Sleepy's in 1987 when it had 35 locations. He was quickly promoted to run the chain's top-producing store for several years before another promotion to vice president of sales and them ultimately to the role of vice president of merchandising and lead buyer for the chain, which had grown to more than 700 stores and topped $700 million in sales.

"Anatomic Global has developed a unique product merchandising strategy and story to tell consumers that I believe will resonate with retailer sales associates in our industry," Fishman said. "There is a flood of non differentiable visco in the market right now, but Anatomic Global has something unique; a real opportunity for the right retailers who know how to deploy and sell it on the floor."

Fishman will focus on sales force training as well as the development of new products and point-of-purchase materials to help retailers and their retail sales associates move product.

After adding 140,000 square feet of production and distribution space to its Southern California facility earlier this year, the company increased its workforce 30 percent as well.