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Top 25 U.S. furniture retailers

By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, November 25, 2001

Top 25 U.S. furniture retailers
Rank		Company, home base, notes	Estimated furniture and bedding sales in $ millions		Percent change 1999 to 2000	Total number of units
2000	1999		2000	1999		2000	1999
1	3	Ethan Allen, Danbury, Conn.	$1,014.0	$932.0	8.8%	281	275
		Includes sales from 84 company-owned and 197 dealer-owned stores in the United States. International revenues and store counts not included. The 10-year effort to reshape the company's image from strictly Colonial has paid off by reaching a broader consumer base. Total 2000 revenues, $1.2 billion; decorative accessory sales, about $179 million. In 2000, opened 11 stores and closed five.
2	2	Office Depot, Delray Beach, Fla.	$999.0	$944.2	5.8%	851	787
		Fiscal year ended Dec. 30. Sales and store counts are for U.S. locations only, including units in 47 states and the District of Columbia. Furniture accounted for 10.8% of 2000 sales, down from 11.5% in 1999. Closed 70 under-performing stores in first quarter. Plans to open 50 new stores in 2001, including 10 with 20,000 square feet rather than the traditional 30,000 square feet store. Opened first two prototype stores in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., and Englewood, Colo., on Aug. 4. The new format uses a circular traffic flow that allows customers and store employees to easily see around the store from any point. New-format stores also feature 3D technology that gives simple touch prompts, allowing customers to configure office furniture based on room dimensions.
3	1	Heilig-Meyers, Richmond, Va.	$983.0	$1,639.9	-40.1%	576	906
		Fiscal years ended Feb. 28 and Feb. 29. Sales figure for 1999 includes partial-year sales for Mattress Discounters and Rhodes. Total 2000 revenues, approximately $1.4 billion; decorative accessory sales, about $17 million. In August 2000, Heilig-Meyers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. In April 2001, the company announced it would close its remaining Heilig-Meyers stores and focus solely on its now 65-store RoomStore chain. Sold three metro Chicago John M. Smyth Homemakers' stores to Rhodes.
4	6	Rooms To Go, Seffner, Fla.	$957.0	$791.2	21.0%	80	72
		Operates primarily in Florida but also in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and a franchise operation in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Also operates Rooms To Go Kids specialty stores and five clearance centers. Will close three stores in Tokyo operated through a partnership with a Japanese conglomerate; figures not included. In 2000, opened three Rooms To Go and two Kids stores in the greater Dallas market — the first in Texas. Also built a distribution center in the Dallas suburb of Grand Prairie to support Texas growth. Plans to open about 24 stores over the next two years, including six this year. Including decorative accessories, sales for 2000 totaled $1.04 billion.
5	4	Wal-Mart, Bentonville, Ark.	$930.0	$870.0	6.9%	2,624	2,522
		Fiscal year ended Jan. 31. Sales and store counts are for U.S. stores only and exclude Sam's Club locations. Furniture sales include outdoor furniture sales of $270 million and office furniture sales of $378 million. The discount department store recently entered the bedding market with the addition of leased shops in 30 locations in the Southeast featuring Sealy. Total Wal-Mart sales were up 12.1% in 2000 to $121.9 billion. See page 32 for more details in the ranking of the Top 5 discount department stores.
6	5	Federated Dept. Stores, Cincinnati	$871.0	$824.6	5.6%	409	403
		Fiscal year ended Feb. 3. The department store giant continued to expand its free-standing furniture store base by adding new units in Rich's, Lazarus, Macy's East, Macy's West and Burdines in 2000 and 2001. Two new Bloomingdale's Home Stores planned for 2002. Currently, the 24 Stern's units are being converted (two to Bloomingdale's, 17 to Macy's East) or closed. All seven of Federated's department stores are ranked among the Top 20 department stores. Figures exclude sales by Federated-owned Fingerhut and Fingerhut.com, Bloomingdale's by Mail and Bloomingdale's.com, Macy's by Mail and Macy's.com.
7	9	Berkshire Hathaway furniture division, Omaha, Neb.	$790.0	$671.0	17.7%	26	26
		Owns Nebraska Furniture Mart, with one store in Omaha, Neb., and two Homemakers Furniture stores in Des Moines and Urbandale, Iowa; R.C. Willey, operating 10 stores — one in Boise, Idaho, and nine in Utah; Star Furniture, operating nine stores in Texas; and Jordan's Furniture, with three stores in Massachussetts and one store in New Hampshire. Total 2000 revenues, approximately $1.3 billion; decorative accessory sales, about $40 million. In 2000, acquired the Homemakers stores in Iowa and Woodmark Furniture of Winterset, a case goods manufacturing facility. In October, R.C. Willey plans to open its first store in Las Vegas.
8	10	La-Z-Boy, Monroe, Mich.	$738.5	$656.2	12.5%	283	275
		Network of independently owned, free-standing units with 27 Showcase Shoppes and 256 Furniture Galleries in the United States. Revenues from the 12 La-Z-Boy stores in Canada and the one store outside North America are not included. Total 2000 revenues, $792.4 million; decorative accessory sales, about $5.2 million. The company continues to grow its Furniture Galleries business through expansion and relocation of Showcase Shoppes. In July, unveiled a more consumer-friendly format that calls attention to key product categories in a racetrack layout with a design center in the middle. As of July 30, there were 291 La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries, including new stores in Charlotte, N.C.; Beavercreek, Ohio; Bridgeton, Mo.; Naples, Fla.; and Memphis, Tenn.
9	NR	Sam's Club, Bentonville, Ark.	$730.0	$545.0	33.9%	475	463
		Fiscal year ended Jan. 31. Division of publicly traded Wal-Mart. Sales and store counts are for Sam's Clubs in the United States only. Opened 13 new warehouse clubs in 2000. More than 70% of sales are in office furniture. Beefed up its selection of bedding and other furniture offerings in 2000. The bedding wall features all sizes from Serta. Last year introduced a selection of directly imported Italian leather sofas selling at $699, loveseats, chairs and ottomans, plus wood futons. Also carries occasional tables, dining tables and chairs and outdoor furniture in season. Total Sam's Club 2000 sales, $26.8 billion, an increase of 8.1% over 1999.
10	7	JCPenney, Plano, Texas	$725.0	$723.0	0.3%	1,111	1,150
		Independent department store. Fiscal year ended Jan. 27. Furniture carried in 200 furniture departments and four bedding departments. Also operates 39 home stores. Established a furniture task force in June to make its furniture business profitable. Targets the moderate-middle fashion customer. Ranks No. 1 among the Top 20 department stores.
11	8	Kmart, Troy, Mich.	$717.0	$710.0	1.0%	2,105	2,171
		Fiscal year ended Jan. 31. Sales and store counts are for U.S. stores only. Opened 16 discount stores and closed 77 during 2000 and opened one Supercenter and closed six. Comparable-store sales increased 1.1% in 2000. Features its Martha Stewart Everyday brand, including outdoor furniture. Ranks No. 2 among discount department stores in furniture sales. Total 2000 sales of $37 billion increased 3.1% over 1999 sales.
12	14	Staples, Framingham, Mass.	$698.0	$592.0	17.9%	973	840
		Fiscal year ended Feb. 3. Sales and store counts are for U.S. locations only. Furniture accounted for 7.8% of total sales in 2000, down slightly from 7.9% in 1999. Opened 166 new North American units in 2000 and plans 125 more in 2001, about a 12% increase in retail space. Total sales increased 19.4% to $10.7 billion in 2000.
13	13	Havertys, Atlanta	$660.5	$600.2	10.0%	106	103
		Operates in 68 cities in 14 Southern and Central states. Total 2000 revenues, $693.6 million; decorative accessory sales, about $20.4 million. In 2000, opened five stores including a second La-Z-Boy store in the Memphis, Tenn., area. Also closed two stores. Opened three new stores this year: Austin, Texas, in February; Port Richey and Naples, Fla., in August. In July, announced plans for a new distribution center in Braselton, Ga., to be ready in fall 2002.
14	11	HomeLife Furniture, Hoffman Estates, Ill.	$660.0	$645.0	2.3%	133	140
		In July, the retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with plans to liquidate. Including decorative accessories, sales in 2000 totaled $680 million.
15	12	OfficeMax, Shaker Heights, Ohio	$650.0	$619.9	4.9%	995	946
		Fiscal year ended Jan. 27. Sales and store counts are for U.S. locations only, including units in 49 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Announced in January plans to close 50 underperforming stores in 17 states. At end of second quarter, ended July 28, 2001, 46 stores had been closed. Through July, 12 new units have opened. Furniture accounted for 12.6% of total sales in 2000, down slightly from 12.8% in 1999. Operates in-store FurnitureMax modules. Total 2000 sales increased 6.4% to $5.2 billion.
16	NR	Costco, Issaquah, Wash.	$620.0	$550.0	12.7%	252	231
		Fiscal year ended Sept. 2. Sales and store counts are for U.S. locations only, for the trailing 12 months ended Feb. 18. Total trailing 12-month sales, $32.8 billion, a 13.1% increase over 1999. Has opened 10 warehouse club stores this year, with four more scheduled to open this month. Costco now has units in 34 states — six of them (Texas, Alabama, Minnesota, North Carolina, South Carolina and Missouri) opened since last September. An additional 22 to 24 units are slated to open by Dec. 31.
17	17	Value City, Columbus, Ohio	$602.8	$516.6	16.7%	74	70
		Owned by Schottenstein Stores Corp. Fiscal years ended July 29 and July 31. Stores in Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and West Virginia. Opened a new prototype store at the end of the year in Columbus, Ohio, spotlighting its private-label American Signature merchandise. The company has expanded the line to about 10 case goods and upholstery collections, mainly imported from Asia and Latin America, which are displayed by style rather than product category. Including decorative accessories, sales for 2000 were $625.3 million.
18	18	Wards, Chicago	$586.8	$506.0	16.0%	250	252
		Parent General Electric pulled the plug on the retailer in December 2000 and the last of its 250 stores closed in March 2001. The 10 distribution centers were closed in the first half of this year. Other retailers such as Sears, Target and May Department Stores have acquired some of the Wards sites, especially in California where prime retail sites are scarce.
19	16	Art Van, Warren, Mich.	$563.5	$519.4	8.5%	28	28
		Family-owned, full-service, midpriced to high-end Michigan chain. Including decorative accessories, sales in 2000 totaled $575 million. In 2000, opened a 109,000-square-foot Lansing store, replacing a smaller unit. Also, remodeled its Mount Clemens Detroit area store. This year will remodel and expand its Westland and Shelby Township metro Detroit stores. Early in 2000 launched its private-label Artisan line, designed to compete with Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn.
20	22	Pier 1 Imports, Fort Worth, Texas	$530.5	$416.0R	27.5%	798	758
		Fiscal years ended March 3 and Feb. 26. Publicly held specialist in midpriced imported merchandise operates 878 stores in total, including seven in Puerto Rico, 35 in Canada, 13 in Mexico within Sears de Mexico stores, and 32 outside North America. Sales outside the United States and Puerto Rico are not included. Has remerchandised in recent years, putting greater emphasis on furniture. Total 2000 revenues, $1.3 billion; decorative accessory sales, about $246.4 million. In 2000, opened 62 stores, including those in the new market of Alaska. Closed 22 stores. Plans to open 175 North American Pier 1 stores over the next two fiscal years — 85 this year and 90 next — and expects to close 20 to 25 stores each year. In February, purchased the 21-store Cargo Furniture chain.
21	15	Levitz, Pleasanton, Calif.	$530.0	$520.0	1.9%	58	64
		Operated 58 stores in 11 states at year end. Including decorative accessories, sales for 2000 totaled $535 million. In late 2000, closed six stores — four in the Boston area, one in Reading, Pa., and one in Bakersfield, Calif. Emerged from bankruptcy protection early this year as part of a new company, Levitz Home Furnishings, which is also the new parent of Seaman's. Levitz Home is chaired by James Rubin of Resurgence Asset Management, which is also the largest shareholder. Seaman's now oversees Levitz's 15 East Coast stores as well as core merchandising and advertising efforts of all Levitz stores. Levitz CEO Ed Grund heads the Levitz stores in the West and in Minneapolis.
22	21	Ikea, Plymouth Meeting, Pa.	$498.0	$429.0R	16.1%	14	13
		Fiscal years ended Aug. 31. The Sweden-based global home furnishings specialty retailer currently operates 15 U.S.-based units averaging 200,000 square feet of selling space: two in metro New York, four in metro Los Angeles, one each in Houston, metro Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Seattle, San Diego and San Francisco. Revenues from Canadian stores and units outside North America are not included. Total 2000 revenues, just over $1 billion; decorative accessory sales, about $52 million. Ikea wants to open 50 North American stores in the next 10 years — five new stores a year beginning in 2003. Markets slated for 2002 include a second San Francisco unit and a first store in Boston, a larger replacement store in Washington, D.C., a move from Tustin to Costa Mesa, Calif., and the relocation of the flagship Philadelphia store.
23	19	May Department Stores, St. Louis	$495.0	$473.0	4.7%	427	408
		Fiscal year ended Feb. 3. In 2000, May opened 23 department stores, including 13 former ZCMI stores which operate under the Meier & Frank name. The retailer also remodeled 20 department stores, including the expansion of nine stores. In 2001, May plans to open 22 new department stores, including eight stores purchased from Saks. May also purchased 13 former Wards stores with plans to reopen most of the locations by 2002. Seven of the 13 are planned as new stores and the remainder as expansions in existing malls. May also owns 123 David's Bridal stores, acquired August 2000, and 82 Lord & Taylor stores; neither carries furniture. Seven of May's department store divisions rank among the Top 20 department stores.
24	23	Thomasville Home Furnishings Stores, Thomasville, N.C.	$468.0	$390.3	19.9%	120	97
		Network of independently owned free-standing gallery stores in or near major metropolitan areas. Figures and store counts exclude the 18 units outside the United States. The retailer plans to have 250 stores by the end of 2005. This year, it will open 31 stores.
25	20	Rhodes, Atlanta	$454.3	$454.0	0.1%	86	91
		Fiscal years ended Feb. 28 and 29. Operates in 13 Southern and Midwestern states. Total 2000 revenues, $497.2 million; decorative accessory sales, about $14 million. In July 2000, moved its merchandising, marketing and executive team out of Heilig-Meyers' Richmond, Va., headquarters back into Atlanta's Peachtree Insurance Center with the company's data center employees. Earlier this summer, Rhodes bought three-store John M. Smyth's Homemakers in Chicago from Heilig-Meyers.
NR = Not ranked
R = Revised
All sales information, except for that supplied by publicly held companies which break out furniture sales, are Furniture/Today market research estimates. All data for calendar 2000 and 1999, unless otherwise noted.
Source: Furniture/Today market research

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