Successful retail businesses understand a powerful, enduring truth: people are the heart of long-term growth. Preparing tomorrow’s leaders isn’t just about filling open positions; it’s an investment in adaptability, innovation, and sustainable progress. Industry experts agree that strong leadership development and effective succession planning give retailers a crucial edge in
Strengthen Your Business While Preserving Family Harmony Compensation planning in a retail furniture business often feels more like an art than a science. You’re balancing the need to motivate and retain top talent—family and non-family—while ensuring the business remains profitable. For family-owned furniture retailers, the conversation becomes even more layered.
Family businesses form the backbone of the home furnishings industry. Stepping into a leadership role within such an enterprise brings a unique blend of privilege, responsibility, legacy, and complexity. Insights from several seasoned leaders offer valuable guidance for anyone taking on or preparing for such a role. Their experiences shed
Running a family business comes with a unique mix of opportunities and challenges. You’re not just making business decisions— you’re navigating family relationships, personalities, communication styles, history, emotions, and expectations. That’s where leadership assessments can be especially helpful. Leadership assessments give families a more objective way to understand what’s really
In an industry defined by change, competition, and evolving consumer expectations, few retailers manage to honor their history while boldly stepping into the future. Good’s Furniture & Mattress has done exactly that. In 2026, the Home Furnishings Association recognized their achievement by naming them Retailer of the Year (less than
More important, what should they do? At a peer group meeting of eight successful construction industry CEOs years ago, the members began discussing how to get the most out of an industry standard software package. One CEO asked another a question about how to key in data to produce a
For many independent furniture retailers, succession planning is more complex than expected. The next generation often chooses different careers; employees rarely have the vendor credit support to carry on, and outside buyers may not value the business the way the owner does. Understanding the realities of exit strategies — and
In Shakespeare’s King Lear, an aging king divides his kingdom among his daughters based on flattery. The daughter who speaks honestly is disowned, and Lear ultimately loses everything. This story is a cautionary tale for family furniture business owners: poor succession can erode not only the business you’ve built but
Longevity is one of the most defining shifts of our time. Americans are living longer, healthier lives than ever before, and that reality is reshaping how family-owned and closely held businesses must approach succession planning, leadership, and financial planning for home furnishings retailers, in particular, where family involvement runs deep
As a retailer, you’ve dedicated years, if not decades, to building a business you can be proud of. You’ve curated products, fostered customer relationships, and navigated the ever-changing tides of the market. But what happens to your legacy when you’re ready to retire or, heaven forbid, something unexpected happens? If
The Home Furnishings Association’s Government Relations Action Team recently convened in Washington, DC, for its 2026 DC Fly-In, bringing the
How Furniture Retailers Can Thrive in the Agentic Era The digital landscape for home furnishings is shifting beneath our feet,
The trade environment for home furnishings retailers has rarely been more complex or more consequential. For many businesses, tariffs are
The furniture industry has had a brutal few years. COVID-19 froze factories, snarled ports, and exposed the fragility of single-source
As of July 22, 2026, furniture retailers face a rapidly changing trade environment with potential implications for product costs, sourcing,
Leveling the Playing Field: Tariff Enforcement and the Fight for Fair Competition Join Home Furnishings Association CEO Peter Theran for a discussion with Keith Koenig,
Inventory Management Transformation: The New Retail Back End Behind every great customer experience is an operation that runs smoothly. Join Peter Theran, HFA CEO, for
