Many furniture shops say pandemic sales have followed an unpredictable but clear pattern.
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We've had a lot of clients wanting to update or remodel their interiors to make their homes better fit their style and to make their spaces more functional, stylish and up to date.” 'Since they weren't able to take vacations and travel, they wanted to improve their daily surroundings. 'Spending more time at home due to COVID shifted people's spending habits and priorities,” she said. Hughes said they have seen an increase in business due to both COVID and the derecho. Local retailers are seeing a small boost in shoppers looking for new furniture pieces. Monthly sales in the sector have soared 181 percent since April, while overall retail sales have grown 34 percent. 'So it's not just pandemic-related, but our supply lines have been totally halted,” he said.Īt the same time, the furniture business is booming - driven by big jumps in work-from-home arrangements and home sales - making it an unexpected bright spot in the otherwise flagging retail sector.Īmericans last month spent an estimated $11.3 billion at furniture and home furnishing stores, up 12 percent from a year earlier, according to U.S. 'A huge part of the delay, particularly in anything that is upholstered, is the recent ice storms in Texas,” said Carmody, noting that two large manufacturers there were affected, with huge portions of the composite foam material being damaged. La-Z-Boy customers, for example, now are waiting an 'unprecedented” five to nine months on their orders, chief executive Kurt Darrow said in an earnings call last month, adding that manufacturing disruptions and shipping delays amounted to $30 million in lost business in the latest quarter.Īnother reason for the backlog is a shortage or reduction of workers at vendors due to COVID-19 safety modifications for factory works, some of whom are operating with half their typical staffing levels.īut it also is partly due to a shortage of materials, some of which come from overseas and some which are affected by the recent weather issues in Texas. 'All the places where this stuff gets manufactured, whether internationally or domestically, have been disrupted by covid and are under enormous strain.” 'You have two problems - high demand and a broken supply chain,” said Greg Portell, a partner in the consumer and retail practice at consulting firm A.T. 'Most are understanding and aware of the numerous issues brought on by the crazy events of the past year.” 'We've had to communicate as honestly and as often as possible with our customers waiting on their special orders,” Hughes added. 'We just checked on an order we placed in November and were informed that it is pushed back until May,” Carmody said.
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What typically could be a four-to-six-week or eight-to-10-week delivery windows are now extended to 16-to-20-week delays. Russell Carmody, store manager of Phelan's Interiors in Cedar Rapids, said they have been facing similar challenges.
She said that many of their typical 'in stock” items from her vendors are now taking four-to-six-weeks in transit to Mix Home Mercantile, instead of the usual two-to-three-week travel time, because of a shortage of, and recent changes in regulations for, truck drivers. 'There are challenges on every level and it is frustrating as the middle man, having to be the bearer of bad or disappointing news to our customers.” 'We are facing delays in getting items shipped both to us for our shop and for our customers' special orders,” she said. 'It is a uniquely busy and challenging time in the home industry right now, even here in our area,” agreed Emily Hughes, owner and principal interior designer at Mix Home Mercantile in North Liberty. Across the country, furniture retailers are reporting months-long delays in every step of the supply chain - from overwhelmed factories to clogged ports - amid surging demand for desks, chairs and sofas during a pandemic that has kept millions of families largely stuck at home for nearly a year.
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