Here’s to hoping Craig Johnson hadn’t sold his Oregon home. The former CEO of Musician’s Friend is coming back to Medford, OR as Harry & David’s new CEO, the food and gifts retailer announced Tuesday.
Johnson will succeed turnaround specialist Kay Hong, who came on board in February so Harry & David could restructure under Chapter 11. Harry & David, who also owns the Wolferman’s and Cushman’s brands, exited Chapter 11 last month.
“Craig is a talented executive with nearly 25 years of multichannel retail experience and a proven track record in numerous senior leadership roles,” Hong said in a press release. “Craig is the ideal candidate for this position and we look forward to benefiting from his leadership and ecommerce, catalog and retail store expertise as we begin the upcoming holiday season and continue to implement Harry & David’s strategy for achieving long-term, profitable growth.”
Hong will stay on with Harry & David through the holiday season to ensure a smooth transition, according to the press release issued by the company.
According to his LinkedIn page, Johnson became COO at Gibson Guitar just last month. At the beginning of this year, Johnson became chief supply chain officer at Guitar Center, a subsidiary of Musician’s Friend.