Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Furniture Factory Orders, Shipments Up Double-Digits in December
March 2,
2017 by Larry Thomas in Business Strategy, Industry 
Furniture factory orders and shipments in December posted double-digit increases over December 2015, boosting both figures into positive territory for the 2016 calendar year, according to the latest Furniture Insights survey from the accounting and consulting firm Smith Leonard.
The survey of residential furniture producers and distributors showed December orders were up 11%, while shipments jumped 15%.
For the calendar year, factory orders were up 3% and shipments rose 2%.
“So, in spite of a slow start to the year and some ups and downs throughout the year, 2016 turned out to be a decent year for many,” Smith Leonard managing partner Ken Smith wrote in a newsletter accompanying the survey results. “The November and December 2016 pick-ups were much better than earlier in the year. Most believe that was a result of the elections being over. Not that it mattered as much who won but at least all the negative ads were gone and we could once again see and hear furniture ads.”
Smith said 61% of the survey participants reported increased shipments for December, but only 43% had increased shipments for the year.
Order backlogs rose 1% in December, while inventories fell 3%, according to the survey.