Furniture Stores

The 12,700 furniture retailers in the US sell new furniture and furniture-related goods, such as appliances, home electronics, home furnishings, and floor coverings. Major product categories include living room, dining room, and bedroom furniture; upholstered furniture; sleep equipment (mattresses, waterbeds); kitchen/dinette furniture; office furniture; and sleeper sofas, daybeds, and futons. Companies may specialize in a particular type of product (sofas, beds), style (contemporary, traditional), or price tier.

Dependence On Credit

Furniture is a large ticket purchase and many consumers depend on credit for funding.

Competition From Alternative Retailers

Furniture stores compete with a variety of alternative retailers, including department stores, retail arms of furniture manufacturers, mass merchandisers, warehouse clubs, home furnishings stores, and Internet and catalog retailers.

Sep 23, 2026 - Havertys Signals Improving Furniture Demand

• Havertys’ second-quarter results point to a cautiously improving outlook for US furniture stores, with stronger sales and traffic offset by rising cost pressures. Net sales increased 7.7%, comparable sales rose 8%, and written comparable sales gained 12.3%, marking a fourth straight quarter of positive written and delivered comps. Average ticket increased 14%, helped by strength in higher-end design and custom orders. The gains suggest consumers, particularly higher-income shoppers, remain willing to spend on furniture when value and customization are compelling. Traffic also returned to slightly positive territory. However, higher container, diesel, delivery, and product-input costs could pressure margins and force more selective pricing. Overall, demand is improving, but profitability remains vulnerable to transportation and sourcing costs.
• Furniture and home furnishings retailers underperformed the broader retail sector in July 2026, with sales down 0.04% month over month and up just 2.71% year over year, according to July's CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor. By comparison, total retail sales excluding autos and gas rose 0.32% monthly and 5.15% annually, while core retail sales increased 0.30% and 4.72%, respectively. Furniture also lagged most major categories year over year, including electronics and appliances (+12.04%), digital products (+12.02%), health and personal care (+10.07%), general merchandise (+8.3%), clothing (+6.55%), and grocery (+4.52%). Still, furniture outperformed building and garden supply stores (-1.2%) and sporting goods, hobby, music, and book stores (-3.01%). The results suggest comparatively soft discretionary demand for furniture and home furnishings.
• Back-to-college demand is expected to provide a bright spot for US furniture stores, as the National Retail Federation forecasts a 9.4% increase in spending on dorm and apartment furnishings even as consumers grapple with rising debt and dwindling savings. NRF expects total back-to-college spending to exceed $100 billion for the first time and does not anticipate a significant decline in consumer spending during the second half of 2026. However, furniture retailers will continue to face a cautious consumer environment, with credit card delinquency rates near 13%, the personal savings rate falling to 3.0%, and inflation weighing on household budgets. While seasonal demand should support sales of dorm and apartment furnishings, retailers may need to emphasize value, promotions, and affordable financing to sustain momentum as consumers remain selective with discretionary purchases.
• A newly released Provoke Insights survey highlights weak brand loyalty in the US furniture store industry, creating both challenges and opportunities for retailers competing on price, service, and quality, according to a Furniture Today report. Furniture ranked among the lowest of 13 categories for brand loyalty, with only one-third of consumers saying brand name matters when shopping for furniture. Nearly half (47%) said they would switch to a similar unbranded product if priced lower. Quality was the top loyalty driver for furniture buyers at 53%, while declining quality (34%) and price increases (31%) were the biggest reasons shoppers abandoned brands. The survey also found furniture shoppers rely heavily on brand recognition (53%) and customer reviews (40%) to narrow choices. Despite inflation concerns elsewhere, only 22% of consumers noticed higher furniture prices, suggesting retailers may face continued pressure to maintain promotional pricing and value positioning.

Industry size & Structure

The average furniture store operates out of a single location, employs 16 workers, and generates about $6.2 million annually.

• The furniture store industry consists of about 12,700 companies that employ about 200,000 workers and generate about $72.8 billion annually.
• Some companies are vertically-integrated - large retailers, such as Ethan Allen, may produce proprietary lines of furnishings.
• The industry is fragmented; the top 50 firms account for 54% of industry sales.
• Large companies include Ashley Furniture, Rooms to Go, Mattress Firm, and Haverty's.