Six Signals Emerging Across the Furniture Business This Month

Originally published March 12, 2026. This version was rebuilt from NRF, Descartes, Placer.ai, Culp releases and court docket for the FIN archive, and the facts are as of that date.

March brought a mix of steady demand and new supply risk. Sales and store traffic were holding up, while shipping routes and a few weaker companies were under strain.

The short version

• Furniture store sales dipped from January but were up from a year earlier in February.
• US container imports fell in February as risks to shipping routes rose.
• Mall and shopping center visits grew from a year earlier.
• Culp's sales fell but its loss narrowed.
• American Mattress's bankruptcy case was still unresolved.

Furniture stores hold steady

The CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor showed furniture and home furnishings stores down 0.27% from January but up 3.07% from a year earlier in February.

Imports dip, risks rise

Descartes counted US container imports down 9.7% from January and 6.5% from a year earlier in February, partly a normal seasonal slowdown. The report flagged conflict in the Middle East as a growing risk to shipping routes.

Longer routes mean more fuel, longer transit times and less reliable schedules, which hits bulky, low-value goods like furniture hard.

Shoppers return to centers

Placer.ai's mall index found visits to open-air centers up 7.3% and outlet malls up 7.2% from a year earlier in February. More foot traffic near a showroom gives it more chances to turn a visit into a sale.

Culp narrows its loss

Fabric and mattress cover supplier Culp reported quarterly net sales of $48.0 million, down from $52.3 million, citing weak industry demand and lost shipping days from severe weather. Its restructuring had lowered costs and narrowed losses.

American Mattress in court

American Mattress's Chapter 11 case, filed in July 2025, was still unresolved in March, leaving suppliers and landlords waiting.

Update. The court converted the case to Chapter 7 liquidation on March 16, 2026, per the case docket.

Adjusting, not retreating

Demand was steady enough to keep most of the industry moving. The pressure was showing at the edges, in shipping costs and in companies that had not fixed their cost structure in time.

Related on FIN

• Furniture Store Sales Fell 2.7%. Every Other Category Grew.
• Furniture Delivery Fees Need a Fresh Look as Diesel Climbs

Sources

• National Retail Federation, CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor for February 2026
• Descartes, March Global Shipping Report, February US container imports
• Placer.ai, February 2026 Mall Index
• Culp, Third quarter fiscal 2026 results
• US Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware, AFM Mattress Company LLC, case 25-11288, docket summary