Clint Engel
Exclusive Research: Top 100 Furniture Stores
HIGH POINT — Furniture, bedding and accessories sales for the nation’s largest furniture stores jumped a healthy 8.3% last year despite a few multi-million-dollar hits taken by some of the biggest players.

U.S. furniture sales for Furniture|Today’s Top 100 grew to $29.2 billion in 2012, up from $27.0 billion for the same companies in 2004.

The combined retailers grew their market share by two percentage points to 56%, reversing the market-share decline of last year’s Top 100 (which was down one point to 53%).

This year’s group also reversed an odd turn last year when the Top 100’s overall sales gain was outpaced by all U.S. furniture stores for the first time in the history of the report. This time, the 8.3% gain easily beat the 4.1% gain for all U.S. furniture stores, which did $52.4 billion in furniture, bedding and accessories sales in 2012.

Rough challenges

This development doesn’t surprise Jerry Epperson, industry analyst and managing director of Mann, Armistead & Epperson, who said the challenges for smaller independents continue in the current business climate.

*For the complete story, see the May 29 print issue of Furniture|Today.  To order an electronic copy of this research report, click here.