FurnitureDealer.Net Promotes Alex Kirsch to President

August 25, 2020  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

"Alex epitomizes our core values and has proven that he is the ideal person to lead this business," says Andy Bernstein, owner. "To say that we love working with Alex would be an understatement. He's an incredibly hard worker who is committed to excellence, and is a voracious learner, problem solver and innovator. He puts people and culture first, loves serving others to help them achieve success, and is hands down, the most fun person I have ever worked with. We trust him with our relationships, our reputation, our resources and our road map."

Co-Founders Bernstein and Joe Craddock will continue to serve in advisory roles to Kirsch, but turning over day-to-day management of FurnitureDealer.Net at this juncture will allow the executives to launch exciting new services that focus more broadly on helping the industry better support the digital needs of the independent local channel. 

“The industry is on the verge of a new age, and ecommerce is no longer a nice-to-have for local retailers; it’s a must,” says Kirsch, who has worked in a variety of leadership roles at FurnitureDealer.Net over the past seven years. “Our industry’s retailers need highly functioning online stores that drive business, but furniture is not a product category that has ever easily translated to an online environment. Thankfully, FurnitureDealer.Net has an incredible set of solutions for local stores, and my goal in this new role is to get those solutions into the hands of even more local dealers. I see it as our responsibility to help independent retailers drive success in a time when small businesses are under an immense strain and online stores are more important than ever to their communities.”

Moving forward, Kirsch says his focus will be on “investing in our team, our relationships and our solutions. I am incredibly grateful for the amazing team and strong partnerships we already have in place. Together we will continue to innovate and build on this solid foundation to champion the success of independent local retailers.”

“We see this as a critical moment to stand up for what we stand for,” Bernstein relates. “Non-store retail tech giants Amazon and Wayfair continue to define the ‘new normal’ of furniture shopping, and with the shocking run up of their stock prices during the pandemic, they are relentlessly growing their market share in our category. FurnitureDealer.Net, has always stood for brick-and-mortar and the local channel. Our mission is to fight to ensure that the local, independent retailer channel—the backbone of the furniture business—remains the most appealing channel for consumers to shop for home furnishings,” Bernstein says.  "Consumer shopping habits are changing so rapidly.  Joe and I see incredible potential to fundamentally improve the way our industry connects and communicates—both  with consumers, and amongst each other as buyers, vendors, and suppliers. With Alex leading our core dealer services business, we will be able to dedicate far more attention and resources to helping the industry more broadly." 

Kirsch is attending the Las Vegas Market this weekend, where the FurnitureDealer.Net space will be open by appointment only. Email: Market@furnituredealer.net to schedule personal appointments.