June 18,
2021 by Laurie Northington in General 
Brick and mortar furniture and home furnishings stores in the second quarter of 2020 could do little during April mandatory closures but watch e-commerce and mass merchant retailers move in to fill the void. Pent-up demand, along with Federal stimulus dollars, fueled a third quarter rebound among all furniture retailers that lasted through the rest of 2020. Sales in Q4 2020 totaled $34.63 billion, an increase of 13.9% over the same Q4 of 2019, and down slightly 2.4% from the historic growth of Q3 of 2020. Year end furniture and bedding sales totaled $128.68 billion, an 8.1% increase over 2019.
Furniture sales, excluding bedding, $30.43 billion in the fourth quarter, up 14.5% compared to Q4 2019, but were down 0.8% compared to Q3 2020. For the year, furniture (excluding bedding) sales increased 8.8% over 2019.
Meanwhile bedding sales fell significantly 11.9% during the second quarter of 2020, but recovered in the third quarter and fourth quarters increasing 13.7% and 9.2% respectively. Bedding sales for Q4 year totaled $4.2 billion and finished the year at an estimated $16.63 billion.
The growth in furniture sales during 2020 was significant, from $24.81 billion in Q1 to $30.43 at Q4 year end. Meanwhile bedding experienced a higher percentage drop in the second quarter to $3.23 billion and but made gains in the third and fourth quarters to $4.8 billion and $4.2 billion respectively.
After a drop in the second quarter, the stay-at-home consumer went on a buying spree that lasted through the final two quarters of 2020. Furniture and bedding sales increased 13.9% in Q4 last year versus the fourth quarter of 2019. Compared to Q3 of 2020, the fourth quarter fell 2.4% to $34.63 billion. Year end 2020 sales grew 8.1% over 2019.
Despite struggling briefly during the second quarter of the 2020 pandemic, industry sales ended the year 8.1% higher than 2019.
Source: Impact Consulting Services, Inc. Furniturecore.com industry model
Note: Previous 2020 Q3 estimates have been revised.
June 11,
2021 by Laurie Northington in General
The furniture industry limped through the second quarter following the devasting impact of retail store closures in April due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, pent-up demand along with Federal stimulus dollars fueled a third quarter rebound. Sales in Q3 this year totaled $34.99 billion, an increase of 14.1% over the second quarter of last year and 19.2% over Q2 of this year. Third quarter year-to-date furniture and bedding sales totaled $93.56 billion, a 5.6% increase over the first three quarters of 2019.
Furniture sales, excluding bedding, reached $30.24 billion in the third quarter, up 14.3% compared to Q3 2019 and 15.8% versus the previous second quarter this year. Third quarter year-to-date, furniture sales are up 6.2% over the same period in 2019.
Bedding sales, already slumping in 2019, tumbled in the second quarter of 2020, but recovered in the third quarter increasing 12.5% over the third quarter of last year to $4.75 billion. Compared to the hard-hit second quarter during the pandemic, Bedding jumped over 40%. Third quarter year-to-date Bedding sales are up 1.8% to $12.38 billion.
Furniture and Bedding sales increased 14.1% in Q3 this year versus the third quarter of last year. Compared to Q2 of 2020 when the pandemic took its toll, the industry grew 19.2%. Third quarter sales totaled to $34.99 billion, and year-to-date were up 5.6%.
Year-to-date, the third quarter of this year is up 5.6% over the same nine months of 2019. Industry sales through Q3 totaled $93.56 billion.
Source: Impact Consulting Services, Inc. Furniturecore.com industry model
Note: Previous 2020 Q1 and Q2 estimates have been revised.
June 4,
2021 by Laurie Northington in General
In the second quarter, the furniture and bedding industry felt the full impact of COVID-19 economic restrictions with sales falling to $29.06 billion. Coming off strong industry sales in January and February, virtually all brick and mortar furniture stores shut down the last part of March and the entire month of April before reopening in June. Preliminary estimates show online sales took up some of the slack, but not a significant amount, and many brick and mortar retailers reported strong sales upon reopening.
Second quarter 2020 furniture and bedding industry sales were 2.8% below the same quarter last year. Compared to the preceding quarter Q1 2020, Q2 sales were down 0.5%.
Furniture sales, excluding bedding, totaled $25.63 billion down 2.3% Q2 2020 compared to Q2 2019 but up 3.0% over Q1.
Bedding sales in the second quarter declined 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year falling to $3.43 billion. The second quarter of each year is typically seasonally much lower in sales compared to the preceding quarter. This held true even in the pandemic with Q2 2020 bedding sales 21% lower than Q1 2020.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 forced second quarter 2020 industry sales down 2.8% below the same quarter last year, which is the first yearly quarter over quarter decline in furniture and bedding sales since 2013 Q1 when sales were down 0.4% over 2012 Q1.
COVID-19’s impact on industry sales in March and April of this year overshadowed the 8%+ growth in January and February plus May and June store reopening sales. Year-to-date the second quarter of 2020 total $58.27 billion in furniture and bedding sales which is down 1.3% from the sale period last year.
Source: Impact Consulting Services, Inc. Furniturecore.com industry model
Note: Previous 2020 Q1 estimates have been revised.
May 28,
2021 by Laurie Northington in General
The furniture industry began 2020 building on the previous two quarters of 2019 with 8%+ growth in January and February. Then in early March, COVID-19 brought much of the brick and mortar furniture industry to a standstill where it remained throughout April. Preliminary estimates show online sales took up some of the slack, but not a significant amount.
High industry sales in the first 60+ days of the quarter were enough to keep growth 2.6% over the first quarter of last year. However, compared to the fourth quarter of 2019, sales fell 5.4%. Preliminary estimates put first quarter 2020 furniture and bedding sales at $28.53 billion.
Note: Statistically reliable data in not available to segment bedding industry sales.
Despite threats of a possible late year recession in 2019, the furniture and bedding industry continued to improve quarter over quarter and into the first two months of 2020. But the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the last few weeks of the quarter resulted in industry sales up only 2.6%.
COVID-19’s impact on industry sales in March of this year overshadowed the 8%+ growth in January and February. The first quarter of 2020 finished at an estimated $28.53 billion, 2.6% over 2019 Q1.
May 21,
2021 by Laurie Northington in General
Bedding sales in 2020 started the year slowly and then tumbled 11.9% in the second quarter during the pandemic retail closures. This is compared to the same Q2 of 2019. However, sales recovered in the third quarter increasing 13.7% and continued with 9.2% growth to $4.2 billion in Q4. Year end sales finished at $16.63 billion which is 3.9% over 2019.
Bedding sales recovered in the third quarter of the pandemic increasing 13.7% over the third quarter of last year and continued with 9.2% growth in Q4. Fourth quarter sales totaled $4.2 billion.
2020 was to be the year bedding recovered after struggling in 2019. And given the events of 2020, the bedding industry was still able to post a 3.9% increase over 2019. But it was the strong performance in the second half of 2020 resulting in 11.6% growth over the second half of 2019 that hopefully will carry the product into 2021.
Source: Impact Consulting Services, Inc. Furniturecore.com industry model
Note: Previous 2020 Q3 data has been revised and 2020 Q4 is preliminary.
May 14,
2021 by Laurie Northington in General
Bedding sales, coming off a poor performance in 2019 and a slow start in 2020, tumbled 11.9% in the second quarter of 2020 during the pandemic retail closures. However, sales recovered in the third quarter increasing 12.5% over the third quarter of last year to $4.75 billion. And compared to the hard-hit second quarter of this year, Bedding jumped over 40%. Third quarter year-to-date Bedding sales are up 1.8% to $12.38 billion compared to the first nine months of 2019.
Bedding sales recovered in the third quarter this year increasing 12.5% over the third quarter of last year and jumped 40% compared to the hard-hit second quarter of this year which included the April pandemic retail closures. Third quarter sales totaled $4.75 billion.
Year-to-date Q3, Bedding sales this year reached $12.38 billion, a 1.8% increase over Q3 2019 year-to-date dollars.
Source: Impact Consulting Services, Inc. Furniturecore.com industry model
Note: Previous 2020 Q1 and Q2 data has been revised and 2020 Q3 is preliminary.
May 3,
2021 by Laurie Northington in General
Bedding sales took off in the last half of last year and continued high growth into Q1 of this year up 18.7% over 2020 Q1.
Preliminary 2021 Q1 Bedding sales reached $5.24, up 18.7%. 2020 ended the year with revised sales of $16.64 billion, up 4% over 2019
Source: Impact Consulting Services, Inc. Furniturecore.com industry model
Note: Previous 2020 data has been revised and 2020 Q1 is preliminary.
March 20,
2020 by Laurie Northington in General
E-commerce furniture and home furnishings websites continue to chip away at brick and mortar retailers, reporting a double-digit growth of 22% in 2018 compared to single-digit growth by other furniture and home furnishings retail channels.
This is the fourth factoid in a series of five factoids detailing how despite predictions that the rate of e-commerce growth in the furniture industry would slow, e-commerce sales have continued increase at over 20% annually in recent years.
Of the $112.8 billion furniture industry, sales can be distributed between (1) brick and mortar stores, (2) e-commerce retailers plus e-commerce sales by brick and mortar companies, and (3) mail order houses., In 2018, furniture and bedding sales by brick and mortar stores (non-internet) totaled $87 billion compared to $23.9 billion for e-commerce and $1.9 billion from mail order houses.
E-commerce continues to gain a greater share of the furniture industry – jumping from 3.8% of sales in 2009 to 21.2% in 2018. This includes not just sales by e-commerce retailers, but also online sales by brick and mortar retailers of all types – including furniture and home furnishings stores, department stores, warehouse superstores, etc. Meanwhile, brick and mortar share of total sales fell from a 93.5% in share in 2009 to 77.1% in 2018 - decreasing 6.6 percentage points from 2017 to 2018.
Source: Impact Consulting Services Inc.’s FurnitureCore.com proprietary Industry Model; U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Retail Trade (e-commerce) with salves revised Sept. 2019. 2018 preliminary estimates.
March 13,
2020 by Laurie Northington in General
E-commerce furniture and home furnishings websites continue to chip away at brick and mortar retailers, reporting a double-digit growth of 22% in 2018 compared to single-digit growth by other furniture and home furnishings retail channels.
This is the third factoid in a series of five factoids detailing how despite predictions that the rate of e-commerce growth in the furniture industry would slow, e-commerce sales have continued increase at over 20% annually in recent years.
While internet purchases have continued to gain a bigger piece of the retail pie over recent years, online sales represented only 8.6% of all retail sales for all consumer products in 2018. And mid year-to-date that percentage has declined slightly – down to 7.5% with mail orders picking up to 4.4%.
Brick and mortar retailers have tried various approaches to competing with e-commerce retailers by attempting to market through their own websites, but with little success. Furniture and home furnishings stores lag behind other retailer types in terms of e-commerce sales as a percent of total sales. E-commerce sales were 1.2% of total sales in 2017 for brick and mortar furniture and home furnishings stores, compared to 3.8% for clothing stores, 2.9% for sporting goods, hobby, and bookstores, and 2.1% for electronics and appliance stores. While the success of online retailing among brick and mortar merchants has increased over the years, the e-commerce sales comparison remains vast between brick and mortar stores and pure e-commerce retailers.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Retail Sales and Monthly E-commerce report (1) Includes Brick & Mortar store sales either sold at their stores or through the company's website. Note: Brick & Mortar companies that have dedicated business models to online sales and carry a wide range of products not available in the retailers' stores are considered E-Retailers for that business model. Their stores sales, however, are included in the Brick & Mortar category.
March 6,
2020 by Laurie Northington in General
E-commerce furniture and home furnishings websites continue to chip away at brick and mortar retailers, reporting a double-digit growth of 22% in 2018 compared to single-digit growth by other furniture and home furnishings retail channels.
The explosive e-commerce growth comes in spite of a report indicating only 14% of consumers actually prefer to purchase furniture online (Euclid Analytics). This leaves brick and mortar retailers scratching their heads how to give consumers the shopping experience they apparently prefer.
This is the second factoid in a series of five factoids detailing how despite predictions that the rate of e-commerce growth in the furniture industry would slow, e-commerce sales have continued at over 20% annually in recent years.
The retail furniture industry reached $112.8 billion last year, a growth of 7.0% over 2018. While total furniture and bedding retail sales have maintained robust growth through 2018, 2019 year-to-date has slowed – only increasing 3.6% from 2018 Q3 YTD to 2019 Q2 YTD.
Sales of combined furniture and home furnishings through e-commerce retailers have increased from $7.9 billion in 2006 to an estimated $59.7 billion in 2018 – an average per year growth since 2009 of 23%.
Source: Impact Consulting Services Inc.’s FurnitureCore.com proprietary Industry Model; Comprehensive revisions by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis to Personal Consumption Expenditures (Consumer Spending) have been incorporated in the Industry Model.
U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of Retail E-commerce sales; data available through 2017
*E-commerce retailers are those retailers without storefronts with or companies with dedicated online business models.