HIGH POINT — Stanley Furniture has suspended its domestic operations temporarily, citing a host of Covid-related industry disruptions for the move.
In an email to customers obtained by Home News Now, the Vietnamese-linked home furnishing producer said the suspension of operation was effective Wednesday and will last “until production flow stabilizes and the economics of our business becomes more predictable.”
The email did not disclose how many U.S. employees are impacted by the move or estimate how long the operations will be shuttered.
“As has been well documented and experienced by all, delays in raw materials, inconsistent work schedules and lack of capacity with transportation routes, coupled with shockingly high ocean freight rates due to Covid-19 have greatly reduced our ability to operate efficiently,” Stanley said in the email.
“Though the duration of this necessary business interruption is unknown at the present time, it is our goal to return to normal business operations as quickly as possible.”
Operations at Stanley’s Vietnam manufacturing facility are continuing, it said, adding that it expects “to see product shipping on a more consistent basis beginning late May.” The company directed questions about order status to an email address monitored by Stanley in Vietnam.
The company did not immediately respond to phone calls or an email from HNN about the suspension (check back for updates to this story). It concluded the email by stating it regretted the inconveniences the pause will cause customers.
“We will work hard to rectify the situation as quickly as possible and will communicate to you when that pathway becomes clear,” it said.
Stanley Furniture was sold in 2018 to Churchill Downs, a Delaware-based limited liability company controlled formed by Walter Blocker, chairman of the Vietnam Trade Alliance in Ho Chi Minh City. The deal was first announced in November 2017.