Home Furnishings Stores

The US home furnishings store industry includes 22,000 stores with combined annual revenues of over $23 billion. Major companies include Bed Bath & Beyond, IKEA, and Williams-Sonoma. The industry is concentrated: the 50 largest companies have about 70 percent of industry sales.

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. The industry is labor-intensive: average annual sales per employee is $125,000.

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

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

Major product categories are domestics (20 percent of sales); decorative accessories (20 percent); dinnerware (10 percent); cookware (10 percent); other kitchen and bathroom accessories (15 percent); and window treatments (10 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 primarily in enclosed shopping malls. Independent stores range from 2,000 to 20,000 square feet.

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