Thomasville closing N.C. uph. plant
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, July 19, 2004
Thomasville, N.C. — Thomasville Furniture will close its Statesville, N.C., upholstery plant in October, consolidating operations into factories in Hickory and Troutman, N.C.
The Statesville facility, which employs 118 people, had been used by Highland House, a high-end upholstery maker Thomasville acquired, then later sold to Century. The plant wasn't included in the sale.
Rick Miller, director of human resources, said demand hasn't been sufficient to keep the facility running. He said Thomasville likely would sell the plant.
"The sale of the Highland House business at the end of last year left us with excess capacity in our upholstery division," said Tom Tilley, president and CEO of Thomasville, part of Furniture Brands International.
He said the company hopes to offer many Statesville employees jobs at the other two facilities.
In a related move, Thomasville laid off of about 15 middle management and clerical workers because of soft business conditions. Most worked at headquarters here.
