Furniture Brands International, the parent company of several North Carolina furniture manufacturers including Thomasville and Broyhill, posted a net loss for the third quarter of $13.7 million.

That loss compared to a profit in the same quarter last year of $5.8 million. Sales in the quarter were $516.3 million, off 9.2 percent from a year earlier.


For the year to date, Furniture Brands (NYSE: FBN) has lost $5 million, compared to a profit in the first nine months of 2013 of $53 million. Sales so far this year have totaled $1.6 billion, down from $1.8 billion last year.

In their earnings announcement, company officials blamed the poor results on “cautious consumer spending” and said a new strategic plan unveiled at an investor conference last week will help return the company to profit.

For a detailed analysis of Furniture Brands’ strategic plan, see the Nov. 2 print edition of the Business Journal.