Home Furnishings Stores Industry Profile

The US home furnishings store industry includes about 20,000 stores with combined annual revenues of about $25 billion. Major companies include Bed Bath & Beyond and Williams-Sonoma. The industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies account for about 70 percent of industry revenue.

Furniture stores and retailers of floor coverings are covered in separate industry profiles.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by consumer income. Large companies compete through volume purchasing, breadth of products, and effective merchandising and marketing. Small companies focus on a market segment and compete through depth of products and superior customer service.

Competition for home furnishing stores includes department stores, mass merchandisers, home improvement stores, and online and mail order retailers.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major product categories are domestics (20 percent of sales); decorative accessories (15 percent); cookware (10 percent); window treatments (10 percent), and dinnerware (7 percent). Domestics are towels, sheets, blankets, and table linens. Decorative accessories include lamps, mirrors, pictures, clocks, and desk sets. Dinnerware includes china, glassware, and flatware. Window treatments are curtains, draperies, blinds, and shades.

Home furnishings retailers include national chains and independent stores. Major chains, such as Bed Bath & Beyond, offer “superstores” that vary from 20,000 to 70,000 square feet and are located in suburban strip malls. Other chains, such as Williams-Sonoma, operate stores of 5,000 to 15,000 square feet located in enclosed shopping malls and strip centers. Independent stores range from 2,000 to 20,000 square feet.

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