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Article: Furniture hot and cold in '96.(State of the Industry: Furniture)(Industry Overview)
- Article from:
- HFN The Weekly Newspaper for the Home Furnishing Network
- Article date:
- March 17, 1997
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 MacFadden Communications Group LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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For suppliers and retailers of furniture, bedding, lighting and area rugs, 1996 was somewhat of a mixed blessing. While sales gains were made in all categories, sales of handmade area rugs increased only .5 percent, bedding only 3.3 percent and portable lighting only 4 percent.
Metal beds, futons, outdoor casual furniture, flat-packed furniture, lighting fixtures and machine-made area rugs fared better, with sales increases ranging from 6 to 14 percent.
Deep discounting of flagship brands and a highly competitive retail environment contributed to the sluggish increase of bedding sales, while a mature market explains the slow growth of portable lighting.