Fortunoff taps home veteran exec Arnold Orlick as ceo

By Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 5/4/2006 12:41:00 PM

Westbury, N.Y. – Veteran retailer Arnold Orlick has been named ceo of Fortunoff, the home furnishings and fine jewelry specialty chain based here.

Orlick has an extensive background as a senior executive, especially in the home furnishings area. He served as ceo and chairman of a major department store – the former Federated division Rich’s/Lazarus/Goldsmith’s, now Macy’s. He will replace Joel Kier, chairman of the Kier Group and a director of Fortunoff, who became acting ceo last year. Kier Group and Trimaran Capital Partners acquired the majority interest in the company from the Fortunoff and Mayrock families in July 2005.

Fortunoff operates six full-line home furnishings and fine jewelry stores as well as 11 Backyard stores, which feature outdoor furniture and kids furniture. When the company opened its 185,000-square-foot White Plains, N.Y. store in October 2003, Elliot Mayrock, one of the family principals, said the new unit was expected to add at least $100 million to the company’s more than $400 million annual revenue. In home textiles, the percentage contribution was pegged at about 15%.

Orlick began his career at the former Abraham & Straus, Brooklyn, N.Y., noted for its executive training program. He lwas later a senior executive in home furnishings at Robinson’s Los Angeles and moved back to New York to join Bloomingdale’s as executive vp, gmm for home, cosmetics and restaurant operations. He later became the store’s evp, director of stores. He left Bloomingdale’s to join Rich’s in 1997 as president, and later became chairman and ceo. He left Rich’s in 2001.