Top online-only home furnishing retailers

Strong online players in retail home furnishings

Dana French -- Furniture Today, July 17, 2009

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Furniture|Today's exclusive report lists 20 online-only home furnishings retailers in alphabetical order. This list is by no means comprehensive. Many more than the 20 Internet retailers listed here are strong players within the home furnishings industry and Internet channel.

Amazon

Seattle
www.amazon.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $19,166 million
Publicly held, fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2008. Began selling online in 1995. Sells directly to customers and through third-party vendors. Fulfills customer orders through U.S. and international warehouses and through co-sourced and outsourced arrangements. Operates global customer service centers. Also offers programs that enable seller customers to sell their products through Amazon Web sites and their own branded sites. 20,700 worldwide employees. North American sales accounted for 53% of total sales last year. Media products accounted for 58% of 2008 total sales and consumer electronics and other merchandise, including home furnishings, accounted for 39%. Major furniture and bedding suppliers include South Shore, Prepac, Winsome Wood and Sealy.

Best Priced Furniture

Torrance, Calif.
www.bestpricedfurniture.com
Est. 2008 total sales: Less than $5 million
Founded in 2003. Offers promotional to mid-priced lines through two online storefronts: BestPricedFurniture.com and BestPricedOfficeFurniture.com. Advertises through search engines, online Yellow Pages, social media and e-mail campaigns. Five employees. Major vendors include Powell, Hillsdale Furniture, Coaster, Bush and SEI. Furniture and bedding accounted for 85% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, 15%. Offers free shipping on most product.

CSN Stores

Boston
www.csnstores.com
Est. 2008 total sales: More than $200 million
Founded in 2002. Offers promotional to high-end lines through more than 200 niche storefronts with access to more than one million products. Online stores include AllBarstools.com, AllCoffeeTables.com, Accent-Furniture-Direct.com, HomeTheaterSeatingOnline.com, Occasionalfurniture.com, TVStands.com, Upholstery.com, Waterbed.com and WritingDesksandMore.com. Four hundred total employees. Major suppliers include Stanley, Lexington, Riverside, Hillsdale, Powell and SEI. Advertises through search engines, online Yellow Pages, social media, direct mail, e-newsletters, e-mail campaigns, blogs, newspapers and radio. Furniture and bedding accounted for 65% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, 20%; other merchandise, including major appliances, home textiles, floor coverings and housewares, 15%.

Cymax Stores

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
www.cymaxstores.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $50 million
Founded in 2005. Offers mid-priced home furnishings lines, as well as consumer electronics and gaming equipment, through 150 specialty online storefronts. Online stores include BedroomFurniturenMore.com, BestarFurnitureCollection.com, BushFurnitureCollection.com, EverySofa.com, HillsdaleFurnitureSource.com, ModernFurnitureLiving.com, MoreBunkBeds.com, MoreMattresses.com, OfficeFurniturenmore.com and
TopEntertainmentCenters.com. Advertises through search engines. Major vendors include Bush, South Shore, Hillsdale, Pulaski, Stanley, American Drew, Linon, Lea, Klaussner, Coaster, Simmons and Catnapper.

Everything Furniture

Riverside, Calif.
www.everythingfurniture.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $15 million to $19.9 million
Family-owned, founded in 2001. Offers more than 17,000 promotional to high-end SKUs. Operates two online storefronts: EverythingFurniture.com and EverythingOfficeFurniture.com. Eighteen employees. Advertises through search engines, online Yellow Pages, social media, direct mail, e-newsletters, e-mail campaigns and blogs. Major suppliers include Powell, SEI, Bestar, Bush, Wynwood, Hillsdale, South Shore, DaVinci, Elite and Parker House. Furniture and bedding accounted for 90% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, 5%; other merchandise, including housewares and gaming equipment, 5%. Direct imports accounted for 5% of 2008 total sales.

FurnitureBuzz

Savannah, Ga.
www.furniturebuzz.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $15 million to $19.9 million
Family-owned, established in 1997. Offers promotional to mid-priced lines. Twenty-one total employees. Advertises through search engines, online Yellow Pages, social media, direct mail, e-newsletters, blogs and newspaper advertising. Major vendors include Sauder, La-Z-Boy Kidz, Stanley, Pulaski, Bush Inds., Step 2, Powell, Berkline, DMI, Signature Home furnishings, Standard, Melissa and Doug, AICO, Studio RTA, Lea, Whalen, Craftmaster, Ultimate Garage, American Drew and Catnapper. Furniture and bedding accounted for 95% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, 5%. Offers free shipping.

Home and Bedroom Furniture

Cypress, Texas
www.home-and-bedroom.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $2 million
Family-owned, in business since 1980 and online since 1998. Offers lower-middle price points. Ten employees. Major suppliers include Fashion Bed Group, Hillside, Prepac Furniture, Skyline Furniture, South Shore and Lawrence Home Fashion. Furniture and bedding accounted for 100% of 2008 total sales. Offers free shipping.

Home Furniture Mart

Commerce, Calif.
www.homefurnituremart.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $5 million to $9.9 million
Family-owned, in business since 2005. Offers promotional to high-end lines. Advertises through search engines and social media. 10 employees. Major suppliers include Parker House, Homerica, Whalen, Ashley, Coaster, Jofran, Winners Only, Signature Home Furnishings, Anthony California, Standard Furniture, Fairmont Designs and Aspenhome. Furniture and bedding accounted for 100% of 2008 total sales. Offers free shipping.

Homelement

East Brunswick, N.J.
www.homelement.com
Est. 2008 total sales: Less than $5 million
In business since 2003. Sells through Homelement.com. Launched a new specialty online store, DiningSetDirect.com, in June. Offers mid-priced lines. Advertises through search engines, online Yellow Pages, social media, e-newsletters and blogs. Major suppliers include Homelegance, Hillsdale, American Drew, Pulaski, Powell and Butler. Furniture and bedding accounted for 90% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, 10%.

iFurn Stores

Wichita, Kan.
www.ifurnstores.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $10 million to $14.9 million
Family-owned, in business since 1998. Offers promotional to high-end lines through 25 specialty online stores. Storefronts include: iFurn.com, Bushfurnitureonline.com, Entertainment-Center-Superstore.com, Bedroom-Furniture-Experts.com, Parsons-Chairs-Online.com, Coatracksandtrees.com and Diningroom-Furniture-Superstore.com. Twenty-eight employees. Advertises through search engines, social media, e-newsletters and blogs. Major suppliers include Bush, Hillsdale, Bestar, Powell, South Shore and Office Star Products. Furniture and bedding accounted for 95% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, including home textiles, 5%.

Improvement Direct

Chico, Calif.
www.improvementdirect.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $80 million
In business since 2000. Offers home furnishings products through MoreHome.com. Also operates the home improvement storefronts of LightingDirect.com, KitchenDirect.com, FaucetDirect.com, Handlesets.com, PullsDirect.com, VentingDirect.com, VentingPipe.com, ToolsDirect.com, BathFans.com, ImprovementDirect.com and StockBlowout.com. Advertises through search engines and e-mail campaigns. Major suppliers include Klaussner, Lexington, Fashion Bed Group, Adesso, Bush, Lexington Home Brands, Lea, Powell, Uttermost, South Shore, MFI and Sitcom.

Inmod

East Rutherford, N.J.
www.inmod.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $3.5 million
In business since 2002; operates as a division of Evo Furniture. Sales estimates are for Inmod.com only. Specializes in modern furniture, lighting and home decor. Carries promotional to high-end product and offers a full range of product manufactured of sustainable wood, bamboo and other environmentally-conscious materials. Five employees. Advertises through search engines, social media, e-newsletters and e-mail campaigns. Offers free shipping within continental United States. Major suppliers include Alphaville Design, Zuo Modern, Nuevo Living, Sitcom Furniture, Eurostyle, Legare Furniture, Viso and Knu. Direct imports accounted for 10% of 2008 total sales. Furniture and bedding accounted for 65% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, including home textiles, 35%.

ivgStores

Pembroke Pines, Fla.
www.ivgstores.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $20 million to $24.9 million
Family-owned, founded in 2003. Offers mid-priced to high-end lines through a network of more than 340 online specialty stores. Stores include AdirondackChairShowroom.com, BabyCribStore.com and Bar-stools-Barstools.com. Forty total employees. Advertises through search engines. Major suppliers include Ashley, American Drew, Powell and Simmons. Furniture and bedding accounted for 75% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, 15%; other merchandise, including sporting goods and kids products.

Max Furniture

Dallas
www.maxfurniture.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $13.5 million
Established in 2002. Offers midpriced to high-end lines through its main site, MaxFurniture.com and eight additional specialty sites including BuyVanitiesOnline.com and BuyOutdoorFurnitureOnline.com. The Max Store group of sites operates through an 80,000-square-foot distribution center in Dallas. Twenty-three employees. Advertises through search engines and social media. Designs and imports many of its products from around the world. Major U.S.-based suppliers include Universal, Wynwood, Agio, Aspen, Fairmont and Parker House. Furniture and bedding accounted for 95% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, 5%. Direct imports accounted for 55% of 2008 total sales.

Netshops

Omaha, Neb.
www.netshops.com
Est. 2008 total sales: More than $175 million
Operates more than 200 online niche stores offering home furnishings, apparel and consumer electronics. Furniture online storefronts include BedroomFurnitureMart.com, Benches.com, ClubChairs.com, CoffeeTablesGalore.com, GreatRusticFurniture.com, PatioFurnitureUSA.com, ModernFurniture.com, ReclinersPlus.com, SimplyBeds.com and WritingDesks.com. Advertises through search engines and e-mail campaigns. Major vendors include Shermag, Fashion Bed Group, Hillsdale, Office Star, Leather Italia USA, Kathy Ireland Home by Omnia, Jaymar, Catnapper, Ameriwood and Riverside.

One Way Furniture

Farmingdale, N.Y.
www.onewayfurniture.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $18.5 million
Family-owned, in business since 2001. Began selling furniture on eBay and now sells through four online stores: Onewayfurniture.com, Cjhomeandoffice.com, Mybarstools.com and Onewayoffice.com. Stores offer promotional to high-end lines. Twenty-two employees. Advertises through search engines, social media, e-newsletters, e-mail campaigns, blogs and radio. Carries more than 150 brand-name suppliers, including Powell, Linon, Pulaski, Riverside, Simmons, Bush, Klaussner, SEI, Zuo, Hillsdale and Fashion Bed Group. Furniture and bedding accounted for 90% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, home textiles and housewares, 10%. Provides free shipping within the 48 U.S. contiguous states.

Overstock

Salt Lake City
www.overstock.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $834.4 million
Online-only closeout retailer offering discount brand name merchandise. Publicly held, fiscal year ended Dec. 31, 2008. Began selling online in 1999. Site is organized into five main sections: Shopping, Auctions, Cars, Real Estate and Community. The Shopping section contains 11 departments, including the home furnishings sections of Furniture, Bedding and At Home. Major brands include Thomasville, Broyhill, Drexel Heritage, Ameriwood, Dimensions and Serta. Also imports product directly. Nine hundred and fifty total employees. Advertises through search engines, social media, direct mail, e-mail campaigns, blogs, newspaper ads and radio and TV commercials. Direct revenue, with orders fulfilled through its own warehouses, accounted for 21% of 2008 sales, totaling $174.2 million. Its warehouses ship between 5,000 and 8,000 orders per day. The balance of revenues, $660.2 million last year, is through fulfillment partners. Home and garden products accounted for 50% of total sales in 2008, up from 44% in 2007. Launched international sales to customers in Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore in June.

Spacify

Redwood City, Calif.
www.spacify.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $5 million to $9.9 million
Founded in 2000. Specializes in modern and contemporary, designer and European product. Offers upper-middle price points. Five total employees. Advertises through search engines, online Yellow Pages, social media, e-newsletters, e-mail campaigns and blogs. Major sources include Rosetto and Doimo. Furniture and bedding accounted for 80% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories and housewares, 20%. Imports merchandise directly.

Stacks and Stacks

Richmond, Calif.
www.stacksandstacks.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $25 million to $29.9 million
Family-owned, founded in 1984. Began closing its brick-and-mortar stores in the San Francisco Bay area and Seattle in 1998 and closed the sixth and final one in 2008. Offers mid-priced to high-end lines. Seventy-five employees. Advertises through search engines, social media, e-newsletters, e-mail campaigns and blogs. Major suppliers include Powell, South Shore, Bush and Sauder. Furniture and bedding accounted for 25% of 2008 total sales; decorative accessories, 25%; other merchandise, including housewares, 50%. Operates out of a 20,000-square-foot warehouse. Offers free shipping on more than 10,000 products.

Warehouse Direct USA

Atlanta
www.warehousedirectusa.com
Est. 2008 total sales: $3 million
Family-owned, in business since 2004. Twenty total employees. Offers mid-priced lines. Advertises through search engines. Major suppliers include Coaster, HomElegance, Klaussner, Sunrise Importer and Powell. Furniture and bedding accounted for 100% of 2008 total sales.