Just the Stats: Stationary upholstery

Furniture/Today Market Research -- Furniture Today, June 9, 2010

The Just the Stats series gathers in one place data Furniture/Today's Market Research team has compiled on specific product categories; in this case, stationary upholstery. Drawn from special research reports published throughout the year, the data points spotlight what's going on with the category.

Stationary retail sales

	2009 estimated spending in $ billions	2008 estimated spending in $ billions	% growth from 2008	% of total furniture and bedding market
Stationary sofas/sofa-sleepers/loveseats	$11.0	$11.9	-7.8%	15%
Stationary chairs	$1.5	$1.7	-8.8%	2%
Total Stationary upholstery	$12.5	$13.6	-8.0%	17%

 Source:  Furniture/Today market research and Easy Analytic Software

Stationary upholstery in furniture stores

• Accounted for 20% of furniture store sales in 2008.
• Accounted for 21% of selling space in furniture stores in 2008.
• Median SKUs, 43 and median number of lines, 6.
• Median best-selling price points for a leather stationary sofa, $1,199 and $799 for a fabric-covered sofa.

  Source:  Furniture/Today Furniture Store Performance Report: Merchandise Mix, 2009

Style trends for stationary sofas

• Of retailers' 2008 total upholstery sales, 62% came from stationary upholstery.
• 53% of retailers' 2008 stationary sofa unit sales were Contemporary in style.
• The next most-popular style behind Contemporary was European country, generating 12% of retailers' 2008 stationary sofa unit sales.
• Leather/suede and microdeniers were the most-popular fabrics for retailers' 2008 stationary sofa unit sales, spawning almost one-half of total unit sales.
• Examined across all types of fabric constructions, 38% of retailers' stationary sofa unit sales were made at high price points, $1,500 and above. Another 34% were produced at low price points, $799 and below. The remaining 28% were made at medium price points, $800 to $1,499.

Source: Furniture/Today Upholstery Fabric and Style Survey, 2009

Consumers and sofas

• 56% of responding consumers desire new home furnishings, according to our September 2009 consumer survey in partnership with HGTV.
• 16% of responding consumers plan to buy a fabric sofa in 2010 and 12% plan to buy a leather sofa this year.

• 63% of consumers will first shop for a stationary sofa through a traditional furniture store.
• 65% of consumers choose a sofa retailer based on its reputation.
• Durability and quality are the consumer's leading concerns when buying a sofa.

Source:  Furniture/Today and HGTV Consumer Views Survey, 2008 and 2009; The 2010 Consumer, 2009

To purchase full copies of the special reports referenced above, click on the links below.
Furniture/Today Stationary Sofa Metro Market Product Potential Report, December 2009
Furniture Store Performance Report: Merchandise Mix, September 14, 2009
Furniture Today Upholstery Fabric and Style Survey, October 5, 2009
Furniture/Today's The 2010 Consumer, December 7, 2009
Consumer views: Spotlight on Sofas, April 2008