Brookstone names Toys ‘R Us exec as president/CEO

Merrimack, N.H. -- Brookstone Inc. will appoint senior retail executive Thomas M. Via as president and CEO, and as a member of its board of directors, effective Dec. 1. Steven H. Schwartz, who had been serving as interim CEO, will resume his role as chief merchandising officer.



Via spent the past 12 years at Toys ‘R Us, most recently as its senior VP for Babies ‘R Us in the U.S., where he was responsible for providing leadership for the company's juvenile product growth strategy and served on the Global Commercial Committee.



From 2010 to 2013 he was managing director (president) of Toys ‘R Us, Australia, and previously he served as senior VP, Toys ‘R Us Canada, Prior to joining Toys ‘R Us, Via held merchandising positions at Wal-Mart (Canada), Payless ShoeSource, Kmart, and Hills Department Stores.