Furniture & Home Furnishings Wholesalers
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 10,200 furniture and home furnishings wholesalers in the US resell furniture and home furnishings to retailers, builders, and other commercial customers. Major product categories include flooring and floor coverings; office and business furniture; household and lawn furniture; and linens, domestics, curtains, and draperies. Most companies are small, independent operators that serve a local market.
Dependence On Housing And Construction
The furniture and home furnishings wholesale industry is highly dependent on downstream demand from the housing and construction markets, which is influenced by economic factors.
Competition From Alternative Sources
Furniture and home furnishings wholesalers face competition from a variety of alternative sources, including manufacturers, retailers, importers, distributors, and other channels which allow customers to buy direct.
Industry size & Structure
The average furniture and home furnishings wholesaler operates out of a single location, employs about 11 workers, and generates $10-11 million in annual revenue.
- The furniture and home furnishings wholesale industry consists of about 10,200 companies that employ 114,000 workers and generate about $107.5 billion annually.
- The industry is fragmented; the top 50 companies account for 31% of industry revenue.
- Most companies are small, independent operators that serve a local market. Large companies include Arc International North America (subsidiary of Arc International SA, glassware and tableware distributor), Global Furniture USA, Furniture Wholesale Group, AAA Furniture Wholesale, and Building Plastics, Inc. (floor coverings).
- Some large furniture and home furnishings manufacturers are vertically-integrated and operate wholesale distribution warehouses that sell direct to commercial customers.
Industry Forecast
Furniture & Home Furnishings Wholesalers Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Sep 27, 2024 - Sales, Employment Down
- Sales for furniture wholesalers declined 8.7% in June 2024 compared to a year ago and were up 1.6% month over month, according to the Census Bureau. Inventories for furniture and home furnishings wholesalers fell 8.6% in June 2024 year over year and down 0.1% from the previous month. Producer inflation for furniture and home furnishings wholesalers was 9% lower in July 2024 compared to a year ago, according to producer price data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Employment by furniture and home furnishings wholesalers decreased 3.2% in July 2024 compared to a year ago. Average wages for nonsupervisory employees at furniture and home furnishings wholesalers increased 8.4% in July 2024 year over year, reaching $28.12 per hour.
- Consumer confidence levels increased in August 2024, according to data from The Conference Board. The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index was 103.3 in August 2024 from 101.9 in July 2024. Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board, noted that confidence was the highest among those over age 35 and those in the income category of over $100,000. Plans for large appliances and smart phone purchases rose on a six-month average basis. Plans to buy a home dropped to a 12-year low while plans for car purchases improved on a six-month average basis.
- Home remodeling spending, a demand driver for the furniture industry, is expected to trend higher through the first half of 2025, following a modest slowdown, according to the latest Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) report released by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard. Homeowner improvement and repair spending is expected to reach $466 billion through the second quarter of 2025. Spending on residential remodeling has been more limited due to economic uncertainty and continued weakness in home sales and the sale of building materials. The report noted that homeowners are making upgrades and repairs to their homes at a steadier pace following several years of frenzied activity during the pandemic.
- The US furniture market registered a 4% decrease in exports in 2023 compared to 2022, according to a report in Furniture Today. Exports totaled $2.2 billion in 2023 compared to $2.3 billion in 2022. Exports to Canada, accounting for 63% of US exports, fell 4% in 2023, and exports to Mexico, which makes up 8% of US exports, fell by 2%. The US increased its exports to several countries in 2023. For example, exports to Saudi Arabia, the fifth largest importer of US-made furnishings, grew by 61% in 2023, and exports to China posted a 20% increase.
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