by November furniture sales also drop 2.6% from October
WASHINGTON — Year-over-year furniture store sales fell 3.2% in November as consumers tightened their wallets on home furnishings and shifted their spending to gasoline and dining out.
In fact, furniture retail was among the worst performing sectors in November based on figures released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau. Only home appliance stores and department stores had similar negative performance, each down 4.4% and 3% respectively.
Total furniture sales for the month were $12.14 billion, compared to $11.7 billion in November 2021. The 3.2% decline compares to a gain of 6.5% for retail sales overall, which rose to $689.4 billion, from $647.5 billion in November 2021.
The decline in furniture store sales was one of the only declines in the sector this year. It also contradicted what some furniture retailers told Home News Now following Black Friday about a strong November they experienced overall.
Obviously not all furniture stores fared as well during the month, as they competed with other sectors for consumers’ overall disposable income.
Fuel and restaurant sales had the best performance during the month, rising 16.2% and 14.1% respectively, to $64.3 billion and $90.4 billion.
Miscellaneous store retailers, which includes consignment stores, florists and pet supply stores, were up 12.1% in November, rising to $16.2 billion, from $15.9 billion in November 2021.
Food and beverage stores — including grocery stores — also did well, as they were up 8.1% overall, to $81.6 billion, followed by non-store retailers, which includes pure-play e-commerce companies and catalog companies, which were up 7.7% to $109 billion, an indication that Cyber Monday sales were particularly strong as people continued their holiday shopping online.
Other major sectors also were up, including health and personal care stores, up 4.5%; building materials and supplies dealers, up 3.6%; general merchandise stores — a segment that includes department stores — up 2.9%; sporting goods, hobby, musical instruments and book stores, up 1.8%; motor vehicle and parts dealers, up 1.3%; and clothing and clothing accessories stores, up .7%.
For the month of November, furniture store sales were down 2.6% from October. But most other sectors also were down in the survey, largely in the low single digits. Only restaurants and miscellaneous store retailers were up, .9% and .5% respectively, as were health and personal care stores, up .7%, and food and beverage stores, up .8%.
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