A furniture retailer, furniture store or furniture shop is a retail business that sells furniture and related accessories. Furniture retailers usually sell general furniture (like beds, tables, bookcases and wardrobes), seats and upholstered suites (like couches or sofas and chairs), and specialised items produced for a commission. They may sell a range of styles to suit different homes and personal tastes, or specialise in particular styles like retro style furniture.
Many stores also sell outdoor or garden furniture, such as dining tables, coffee tables, seats and couches, which are designed to be waterproof, rust-resistant and weather-proof rather than to follow modern indoor design trends.
Furniture retail sales directly correlate with the state of the economy and housing market. When interest rates are lower and housing sales are higher, like in the United States in the early 1990s, sales of household and garden furniture increases. When business conditions are positive, like in the United States in the late 1990s, sales of furniture for offices, hotels and restaurants increases.
History
The sector dates back the middle of the 19th century, when furniture sellers in North America and Europe began buying furniture from manufacturers at wholesale prices, and selling them to consumers in showrooms at higher prices. Many early showrooms had workshops to build specialty items.
By the early 20th century, most furniture production was concentrated in the United States, with major manufacturing centers in Jamestown, New York, High Point, North Carolina; and Grand Rapids, Michigan. However, hand-crafted items remained in demand and furniture factories remained small.
World War II created a global shortage of wood products, preventing the production of furniture.
The sale of mass-produced furniture in showrooms became more common in the second half of the twentieth century. The introduction of new materials, machinery, adhesives and finishes made it more difficult to distinguish between commercially produced and handcrafted furniture. Many furniture retailers formed exclusive relationships with furniture manufacturers.
By market
North America
United States
Aaron's, Inc. American Furniture Warehouse American Signature Arflex Arhaus Art Van Furniture Artisan Furniture USA Ashley HomeStore Badcock Home Furniture Barker Bros. Bassett Furniture Bob's Discount Furniture Bombay Company Cabinets To Go ColorTyme Conlin's Furniture Crate & Barrel Curacao Darvin Furniture & Mattress Dearden's El Dorado Furniture Ethan Allen Florian Papp Fradkin Brothers Furniture Furnitureland South Gardner-White Furniture Ginn's Furniture Store Grand Home Furnishings Gump's Havertys Heilig-Meyers Heritage Home Group HomeGoods IKEA J.B. Van Sciver Co. JCPenney Jennifer Furniture JoAnne's Bed and Back Jordan's Furniture Kaas Tailored Kirkland's The Land of Nod Levin Furniture LoveSac McMahan's Furniture Move Loot Nebraska Furniture Mart Norton Furniture One Workplace The Pace Collection Pier 1 Plush Home Pottery Barn Raymour & Flanigan Relax The Back Rent-A-Center RH (company) Rhodes Furniture The Room Store Rooms To Go Scan Furniture Scandinavian Design Slumberland Furniture Star Furniture Storehouse Furniture Walter E. Smithe Wayfair West Elm RC Willey Home Furnishings Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Wolf Furniture World Market Yogibo Z Gallerie
Canada
Artemano Canada Bouclair The Brick Cymax Group HomeSense Leon's LOVACO LW Stores J. Pascal's Hardware and Furniture Structube United Furniture Warehouse Wholesale Furniture Brokers XS Cargo
Europe
Bene AG Beter Bed Bohus (retailer) Conforama Höffner IDEmøbler IKEA ILVA Maisons du Monde Kika
United Kingdom
Arighi Bianchi Barker and Stonehouse Bensons for Beds Betta Living Boyes Christopher Pratts DFS Furniture Dreams Dwell (retailer) Feather & Black Furniture Village Great Little Trading Co Habitat (retailer) Harveys Furniture HomeForm Group House of Hackney Land of Leather Leekes Liberty Macy's Magnet Kitchens Maple & Co. MFI Multiyork Oak Furnitureland OKA Direct Perfecthome Peter Green Rosebys ScS Sharps Bedrooms Sofology Waring & Gillow
Serbia
Forma Ideale SIMPO
Estonia
Masku
Asia
Courts Malaysia Courts Singapore Nitori Stellar Works
India
Furlenco Godrej Interio Nilkamal Plastics Pepperfry Sarita Handa Urban Ladder
Oceania
Amart Furniture Coco Republic Fantastic Furniture Freedom Furniture Harvey Norman Milan Direct Nick Scali Furniture Target Australia Temple & Webster Winning Appliances
Middle East and Africa
The One
References
External links