David Perry — Furniture Today,
ARCHDALE, N.C. – Sealy has created a new North

American Division and appointed Sealy veteran Larry Rogers as its new president.

The bedding producer said it realigned its organization to strengthen the company’s position and to drive continued sales growth and long-term margin expansion in that division.

“Realigning North America as one market strengthens Sealy’s competitive advantage,” said Dave McIlquham, Sealy’s chairman and CEO. “This allows us to benefit from growing consumer demand, partner with our North American retail customers, and deepen our supplier and component relationships. As North America becomes more of an integrated market, this new structure will allow Sealy to better leverage its product development capabilities, sales and distribution strengths and lean manufacturing initiatives.”

The markets that comprise the new North American business had sales of $1.4 billion in Sealy’s fiscal 2012 year.

In addition to promoting Rogers, who led Sealy’s international bedding group for the last 12 years, Sealy also promoted Michael Hofmann to executive vice president of operations for North America. Jeffrey Ackerman, Sealy’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, will be promoted to assume global leadership responsibility for the finance and information technology functions.

McIlquham said that under Roger’s leadership, sales in Canada have doubled over the last five years.

Sealy also announced that Jim Hirshorn, senior executive vice president of finance, operations and research and development, is leaving to become chief financial officer at Potbelly Sandwich Works. Hirshorn has resigned his position as a member of the board of directors, but will retain his equity ownership in the company as a shareholder, Sealy said.

”Jim Hirshorn is a talented leader,” McIlquham said. “He has helped lead the company through a period of significant growth and opportunity as Sealy built upon its global leadership position in an ever increasing competitive environment. While we deeply regret Jim’s decision to leave, we thank him for his contributions to Sealy’s growth and help in putting the right management team in place to lead the company.”