Furniture factory shipments increase

New orders and shipments for furniture continued to improve in May, according to the latest Smith Leonard Furniture Insights study.
This marked the seventh straight month in which orders were up, compared to the same month a year ago. The comparative results were weak numbers, but the May 2010 results could indicate 2009 was the bottom of the recession for the industry.
The study found that some orders have fallen off a bit since Memorial Day, but that has not been true across the board when considering normal summer business levels.
Shipments were up 9 percent over May of 2009. Approximately 65 percent of those surveyed reported increased shipments in May, down slightly from the previous month’s 73 percent. Year-to-date, shipments are up 6 percent over the same period a year ago, up from 5 percent last month. Approximately 68 percent of those surveyed reported increased shipments, about the same as last month.
New orders in May 2010 increased 10 percent over orders in May of 2009. Approximately 68 percent of survey participants reported increased orders, from May 2009, down slightly from 73 percent the previous month. Year-to-date, new orders for the first five months were up 10 percent over the same period a year ago. Last year at this time, new orders for the five month period were off 21 percent. Some 71 percent of survey participants are now reporting increased orders year-to-date, up from 66 percrent last month.