The furniture and wood products manufacturing industries reported growth in March, according the Institute for Supply Management’s survey (Manufacturing ISM Report On Business).
New furniture orders in January were up two per cent over orders in January 2017, according to the Smith Leonard survey of U.S. residential furniture manufacturers and distributors.
Furniture shipments in January were unchanged from the same time last year.
Retail sales picked up in March, according to the U.S. Census release of preliminary estimates. In the first quarter of 2018, furniture and home furnishing retail sales were 4.8 per cent higher than in the first quarter last year.
Year-to-date cabinetry sales through February 2018 were down 0.6 per cent according to participating manufacturers the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association’s monthly Trend of Business Survey. For 2017, U.S. cabinet manufacturers reported a three per cent increase in sales.
