At Furniture|Today’s 2006 Leadership Conference two weeks ago, Century Furniture President Bob Maricich gave some compelling reasons to be optimistic about the growth of the luxury furniture market.

As part of a panel discussing the topic, he estimated that just 10% of the population controls half the disposable income. He also said that baby boomers increase their spending potential when their children become adults and leave the home. These empty nesters, a group whose number will grow from 16 million to day to 23 million in 10 years, make up a large segment of the affluent consumer base, he said.

“It’s a very ripe market and the affluent market is growing rapidly,” said Maricich.

All this is important to Century’s own business model, which is all about selling ...Read More