Wright Furniture Joins Furniture First

October 1, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on October 2, 2012

Wright Furniture & Flooring has joined Furniture First buying group.

The three-store, Hannibal, Mo.-based retailer is a full-line furniture store. Like other Furniture first members, Wright is a family-owned business.

The addition of Wright Furniture brings the group's membership to 193 stockholders, with 413 furniture stores in 47 states.

"Furniture First offers a competitive advantage to independents in a difficult economy," said Bill Hartman, Furniture First president. "Our programs add to their bottom line with rebates, discounts and operational efficiencies. But the other benefits we offer, like our exclusive merchandise and private labels, also help them improve their margins and stand out from the competition in their local markets." 

Furniture First takes on only stores that are full-line independents that have been in business for more than five years, though the average age of member businesses is more than 45 years. Stores are required to have good credit and meet minimum volume requirements. 

This October, at the High Point Market, Furniture First will present a new private label Mattress 1st lineup in the buying group's showroom on the second floor of the Radio Building at 164 S. Main Street. 

The exclusive, private label bedding line focuses on the promotional end of the mattress market, which is manufactured by Serta.

In addition to the bedding review, Furniture First plans a series of members-only group shops to introduce new lines and highlight exclusive private labels. Furniture First's showroom will display select products from several of their suppliers, but the space also serves as a resource for members attending Market where computers, fax machines and printers are available for use.