by World’s largest furniture store outlines strategy for new year
JAMESTOWN, N.C. Furnitureland South, the world’s largest furniture store at 1.3 million square feet, recently celebrated 56 years in business. It’s a notable achievement for any company, but particularly in today’s retail landscape, which has been affected by closures and consolidations over the past several years.
Yet rather than resting on its laurels, Furnitureland South is looking to the future. The retailer is investing in artificial intelligence, recently entered e-commerce for the first time in its history, and opened a new store to move and monetize dead stock.
“2025 was a great year,” said Jeff Harris, president and CEO of the Jamestown, North Carolina-based retailer. “It was one of the most successful years in our 56-year history. We had some growth. We were about 5% up over 2024 in terms of sales, so we were very excited about that.”
Harris is optimistic about 2026. “I think consumer confidence is going to continue to increase,” Harris said. “And I think our economy is positioned for a big win this year. I think a lot of the things that have been put into place with this administration are going to take effect. … At the end of the day, American consumers are going to feel a lot better about their bank account, and I think they’re going to go out and spend money.”
That’s a big vote of confidence for furnishings retail, and a welcome rosy outlook for the industry.
“We’ve been really focused on our customers and how they want to shop, and going after new business,” Harris said. “I think our business is unique in that we don’t just serve the Triad, where we’re a local retailer. We have customers throughout the state, throughout the region, throughout the entire country that we serve.”
Last year, Furnitureland South spent a record amount on advertising and marketing efforts, which Harris said had a “great benefit.”
In the fall of 2025, Furnitureland South opened the Furniture Market Clearance Center inside of a building the company previously used for storage.
“We had several million dollars worth of inventory that we could not get exposed on our campus,” Harris said of the inspiration for the new store. “We’re starting to advertise, and we’re starting to see some momentum,” Harris added. “I think that’s going to have a nice boost in helping us in 2026 to turn a lot of dead inventory into liquidity for us.”
For 2026, Harris sees four growth areas for Furnitureland South: online sales, its Furnitureland Trade Direct program, its contract division and artificial intelligence.
The first priority is to “keep on keeping on,” according to Harris, which means focusing on its core, direct-to-consumer business. Secondly, increasing online sales. In October 2025, Furnitureland South redesigned its website and launched an online store.
But, according to Harris, the through line of all of Furnitureland South’s 2026 initiatives is its mission to create a world-class shopping experience. Furnitureland South employs 140 design consultants who are not just salespeople but also have interior design and decor experience. Furnitureland South encourages them to do their own networking, outreach and social media strategy.
“People can buy furniture more places than ever before, and so we really pride ourselves on that personal design consultant experience, where they can sit down and really listen to what your project is and then provide great solutions,” Harris said.
Another growth opportunity for the retailer is its Furnitureland Trade Direct program, which currently comprises 20% of Furnitureland South’s business. “That number is growing,” Harris said. The retailer’s strategy is to continue to partner with freelance designers throughout the United States. Harris said that some designers view Furnitureland South as a competitor; he wants to be viewed as a partner.
“We do the heavy lifting,” Harris said about the program. “They have access to just about anything they could possibly want for a project, and we do the logistics for them. We’re going to continue to do outreach with new designers and continue to build the relationships with the ones that are already part of the program. That’s going to be a big business for us as well,” Harris added.
According to Harris, 2025 was the largest year Furnitureland South has ever had for commercial and contract projects.
“We’ve got a lot of deals in the hopper,” Harris said. “Those deals take considerably longer to come to fruition than retail sales, but we’ve got a great team that we’ve invested in, and we’re really starting to see some momentum in that category. We’re going to continue to build our contract and commercial offerings.”
Harris is also leveraging artificial intelligence to keep Furnitureland South competitive.
“We have a huge initiative for AI,” Harris said, noting that last year, the retailer hired a company to audit its processes to help them sell more, service their clients at a higher level, reduce cycle times and streamline internal processes.
“At the end of the day, it’s about giving a better experience, more efficiency and helping us sell more furniture,” Harris said.
Last year, Furnitureland South restructured its customer service department, and AI also played a role in that, helping train employees and streamline communications with clients. The retailer is also in the process of converting its enterprise resource planning platform to replace its more than 30-year-old warehouse management system.
With Furnitureland South’s newly diversified retail channels, AI-informed streamlining and a continued focus on the shopping experience, the retailer is positioning itself for success.
“We love what we do,” Harris added. “We’re passionate about our business. We have incredible people here who are engaged, and they’re committed to our clients. They’re committed to their colleagues who work beside us to help us accomplish our mission. I couldn’t be prouder of the team that we’ve built here.”
