What the Latest Data Really Says About Furniture

Originally published March 20, 2026. This version was rebuilt from Bob's Discount Furniture, Williams-Sonoma and NRF releases for the FIN archive, and the facts are as of that date.

The mid-March reports showed which parts of the furniture business were growing. Value and premium both had winners, and the retail outlook for the year was better than the mood on many store floors.

The short version

• Bob's Discount Furniture grew sales strongly in 2025 and kept adding stores.
• Williams-Sonoma's comparable sales rose in the fourth quarter.
• NRF forecast retail sales growth for 2026 above the past decade's average.

Bob's reports as a public company

In its first earnings release since going public, Bob's Discount Furniture reported fourth-quarter revenue up 8.2% and full-year revenue up 16.8%, with adjusted comparable sales up 2.8% in the quarter.

Much of the growth came from new stores. For regional value retailers it meant a well-funded competitor that was still expanding.

Williams-Sonoma stays positive

Williams-Sonoma reported fourth-quarter comparable brand revenue up 3.2%. Its outlook for the year assumed tariffs would continue and housing would not meaningfully recover.

A solid retail forecast

NRF forecast 2026 retail sales growth of 4.4% to about $5.6 trillion, using a new model built with Oxford Economics.

Retail could grow while furniture lagged, as it had for much of 2025. The forecast was a ceiling for the category, not a promise.

What the data said

The growth in furniture was going to retailers with scale and a clear position, at the value end or the premium end. The middle had to work harder for the same customer.

Related on FIN

• Furniture Shoppers Are Holding Back
• Furniture Sales Rose. Costs Are Rising Faster.

Sources

• Bob's Discount Furniture, Fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025 results
• Williams-Sonoma, Fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025 results (SEC exhibit 99.1)
• National Retail Federation, NRF Forecasts 4.4% Annual Retail Sales Growth