Furniture retail & tariff signals
Coverage says furniture retail is splitting into 'winners and survivors' with some big players expanding while others close, and lighting import/export data shows stress that commentators link to tariffs. A trade report also notes the U.S. signalled a preliminary softwood‑lumber rate just under 25% with a final decision due in August. (furnitureindustrynews.substack.com) (lightnowblog.com) (panelsfurnitureasia.com)
United States home-furnishings retail is breaking into two tracks in 2026: chains with cash are adding stores, while weaker operators are still disappearing. (furnituretoday.com) Furniture Today counted 27 furniture retail openings announced or updated in the first quarter through April 14, even after a wave of closures dominated headlines earlier in the year. IKEA said in February it plans to open 10 stores in fiscal 2026, including Gurnee, Illinois, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Fort Collins, Colorado, and Los Angeles. (furnituretoday.com) (chicago.suntimes.com) The closures are still large. Conn’s HomePlus and Badcock Home Furniture &more filed for Chapter 11 in July 2024, and Furniture Today said the combined business ultimately liquidated more than 550 stores. (furnituretoday.com 1) (furnituretoday.com 2) Trade data points the same way. LightNOW reported that United States furniture imports fell 12.7 percent in 2025 to $29.6 billion from $33.9 billion in 2024, while furniture exports fell 4.7 percent to $2.4 billion from just over $2.5 billion. (lightnowblog.com) LightNOW said the lighting business also shrank in cross-border trade in 2025. Imports fell 11.7 percent to $8.17 billion from $9.25 billion, and exports fell 8.9 percent to $1.95 billion from $2.14 billion. (lightnowblog.com) The tariff argument is not settled. LightNOW linked the 2025 declines to new United States tariffs, while its own data also showed imports from China fell 15.2 percent and imports from Cambodia dropped 28.8 percent as buyers shifted sourcing. (lightnowblog.com) Wood is another moving piece in the same supply chain. CBC News reported on April 11 that the United States Department of Commerce posted a preliminary softwood-lumber tariff determination of just under 25 percent, down from duties of more than 35 percent, with a final rate expected in August. (cbc.ca) Canadian industry groups said the lower preliminary number does not end the dispute. Panels & Furniture Asia, citing CBC, said British Columbia producers are still waiting for the August decision and are pressing for a negotiated settlement after nearly a decade of trade fights. (panelsfurnitureasia.com) The result is a furniture market where store growth, bankruptcies, and tariff costs are all happening at once. Retailers that can finance new formats and new sourcing plans are opening doors, while the rest are still trying to survive the last two years. (furnituretoday.com) (lightnowblog.com)
