What the Fall Market Reveals About Furniture's Next Chapter

Originally published October 31, 2025. This version was rebuilt from company filings and releases for the FIN archive, and the facts are as of that date.

The fall market had wrapped up and earnings were rolling in. Three very different companies, a furniture retailer, a freight carrier and the biggest online store, showed where the business was heading.

The short version

• Havertys grew sales and comparable store sales and planned to open more stores in 2026.
• XPO said AI was helping it run its less-than-truckload network more efficiently.
• Amazon launched an AI feature meant to help shoppers decide what to buy.

Havertys grows and plans more stores

Havertys reported third-quarter sales up 10.6% to $194.5 million, with comparable store sales up 7.1% and gross margin steady at about 60%. The company said it had opened a third Houston store, bringing it to 129, and planned five net new stores in 2026.

A full-line furniture chain growing comps by that much in 2025 was unusual. Higher average tickets and good conversion did most of the work, which says the stores were closing the customers who came in.

XPO puts AI to work on freight

XPO reported third-quarter revenue of $2.11 billion and pointed to expanding use of AI in its own technology to improve productivity in its North American less-than-truckload business, along with moving more linehaul miles in-house.

LTL carriers move a lot of furniture between plants, warehouses and stores. Carriers that run tighter networks are better placed to hold rates when freight demand recovers.

Amazon brings AI to the buying decision

Amazon reported third-quarter sales up 13% to $180.2 billion and said it had launched Help Me Decide, an AI feature that uses a shopper's browsing, search and purchase history to narrow choices. It also reported heavy use of Rufus, its AI shopping assistant.

Choosing among dozens of similar sofas or mattresses is exactly the problem that feature targets. Furniture stores compete on helping people decide, and that work was starting to move online.

Where this left the industry at the end of October

The strongest operators were growing by being better at the sale itself, in the store, in the freight network and on the screen. Each of those was a reminder that the middle of the market had to earn its customers.

Related on FIN

• Furniture Showrooms Run on Morale
• The Freight Mafia's New Playbook

Sources

• Haverty Furniture Companies, Third quarter 2025 results, Exhibit 99.1
• XPO, Inc., Third quarter 2025 results, Exhibit 99.1
• Amazon.com, Inc., Third quarter 2025 results release