June 19, 2025

Propylene Inventories

https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/weekly/propane.php

June 18, 2025

Shutdowns

Industry sheds facilities, 1,600+ factory jobs in year of soft demand

Sheila Long O’Mara //Executive Editor, Furniture Today//June 17, 2025

HIGH POINT – A wave of factory shutdowns across the furniture, mattress and textiles sector is signaling sustained pressure on the industry as companies contend with soft demand, overcapacity and ongoing efforts to streamline operations.

Since June 2024, the industry has seen at least a dozen players either shutter facilities or announce plans to do so this year. More than 1,600 employees have been impacted as companies wind down targeted facilities.

Reviewing publicly available notices under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notifications (WARN) filed over the past 12 months reveals a tumultuous time across the home furnishings and mattress category.

While most of the closures are related to the mattress category, the furniture and textiles sides of the business haven’t been spared. The list reads like a who’s who in the industry with Serta Simmons Bedding, Corsicana Mattress Co., Resident Home, A. Lava & Son, and Hooker Furniture having all closed, or announced plans to close, facilities.

These moves follow a similar pattern seen in 2024 when Purple Innovation, Leggett & Platt and Culp Inc. all took steps to consolidate or scale back production footprints, citing ongoing, persistent macroeconomic challenges and shifting consumer behavior.

Leggett & Platt announced a massive restructuring in early 2024 with plans to close up to 20 facilities, while Culp set into motion its plans to close its Canadian operation in Quebec and consolidate two factories in Haiti. Purple’s restructuring consolidated three factories into its 850,000-square-foot McDonough, Ga., location late last year impacting 328 employees in Utah.

The supply side closures are unfolding in parallel with consolidation on the retail front. Regional and national home furnishings retailers have seen a flurry of bankruptcies, closings and acquisitions over the past several years, further pressuring suppliers to adjust production capacity.

Executives point to prolonged post-pandemic normalization, consumer confidence and inflation as catalysts for retrenchment. While some closures are part of broader restructuring efforts, others reflect deeper contractions in specific product categories, particularly mattresses, which have faced declining unit sales.

According to the latest data from the International Sleep Products Assn., total mattress market shipments of U.S produced and imported goods in 2024 dropped 8.8% year-over-year to 24.9 million units compared to 27.3 million units in 2023.

The first six months of 2025 have been active with announcements and closings.

As part of a realignment of its facilities, Corsicana closed its Shelbyville, Tenn., factory last week. According to a WARN notice filed with the state of Tennessee, the company indicated 47 employees would be impacted.

Serta Simmons Bedding is set to close its 533,000-square-foot Moreno Valley, Calif., factory this summer making it the seventh factory the company has closed since 2022. According to a WARN filing, wind-down operations will begin July 5 and run through Sept. 30, impacting 180 employees. The company said the move is part of its strategy to improve efficiency across its manufacturing footprint.

Ashley Furniture closed the 300,000-square-foot Resident Home factory in Jeffersonville, Ind., laying off 106 workers a year after the home furnishings brand acquired the mattress brand. Ashley officials at the time said the production would be consolidated into other Ashley factories.

In its consolidation strategy, Hooker Furniture said in March that it would close its warehouse outside of Savannah, Ga. The closure is set for this month, and the company has opened a warehouse in Vietnam designed to help reduce lead times. The Georgia facility opened in 2021 as an 800,000-square-foot operation to house the former Accentrics Home line, which closed in 2023.

Greensboro, N.C.-based Unifi, a global textile manufacturer, announced in February plans to close its Madison, N.C., factory this month. Another fiber and yarn spinner announced is closing its facility in Kings Mountain, N.C., at the end of the year. The layoffs at Patrick Yarn Mill, a maker of flame-retardant yarns acquired in 2017 by U.K.-based industrial thread manufacturer Coats, started last month and will continue through Dec. 31, according to a WARN notice with the state.

In April, fabric supplier Richloom Fabrics Corp. closed its High Point-based Richloom Weaving, citing home furnishings retail bankruptcies such as Big Lots, Badcock Furniture and Joann Stores. Fifty-four employees were affected by the closure. In Plant City, Fla., Leggett & Platt closed its facility this spring, impacting 78 employees as part of its overall restructuring announced last year.

A Lava & Son, a former textiles and cover supplier to the mattress segment, went out of business in the fall of 2024 shuttering its Chicago facility and putting 188 out of jobs, according to a WARN notice filed with the state of Illinois.

High-end furniture manufacturer EJ Victor shuttered operations in September 2024 citing damage from Hurricane Helene. The company said its insurance provider declined coverage for the factory damage and inventory loss leaving it with no choice but to close and lay off 122 employees.

www.furnituretoday.com/industry-issue/mattress-furniture-factory-closures-2025/

June 15, 2025

Good Memorial Day Sales in Bedding

Mattress Retailers Optimistic After Successful Memorial Day

Memorial Day marks the start of the summer mattress sales season. And while no one knew how the holiday would look this year because of economic uncertainty, retailers we spoke with were satisfied with the results. 

Vernon Williams, co-owner of Jacksonville Bedding, Mattresses and More, says his store’s Memorial Day sales were nothing short of incredible. 

“Weekend sales were up 168%, and we saw a 312% increase for the month compared to last year,” he says. “Store traffic remained steady throughout the holiday, but what stood out was the higher average ticket size and the sheer volume of essentials and adjustable bases we moved. Customers came ready to invest in better sleep.” 

That’s a theme that Michael Wipfler, director of sales at Mueller Furniture, saw as well. He says mattress business at the stores — two of which are in Missouri and the other two in Illinois — were up significantly compared to last year.

“Our average ticket was up as far as sleep systems go,” he says. “We were selling nicer sleep systems, and there wasn’t a rush of low-end sleep sales. We had a lot of people there to invest in their sleep, and that was great to see.”

Tim McDonald, general manager for At Home Furniture and Mattress superstore in Albany, Oregon, says door swings were down, but the tickets and number of serious buyers were “through the roof.”

“We ended up with a 42% increase over last year, which put us about $80,000 ahead of last year. And what’s crazy is last year we were about 28% mattress to furniture, and this year we were 46% mattress to furniture. I think the reason we had such great success is our selling top-down process. We fill the need, versus just selling furniture and mattresses.”

McDonald attributes the quality of sales to the brand’s marketing efforts.

We were marketing our high-end, quality product — $5,000 beds versus the $999 special. Everything was 75% off and our long-term financing was used by many.”

He says it seemed that more people were using financing this year than in the past because the tickets were so high. “We were turning opportunities for basic recliners into split-king mattress sales — $1,000 tickets into $7,000 tickets.”

For McDonald, May started slow, but for others, like Greg Jent, co-owner of two-store Discount Mattress Outlet in Bowling Green, Kentucky, May was a successful month. For one of the stores.

“We saw a 50% increase year over year at one store, and the other store stayed flat,” Jent says. “But the one that didn’t see the holiday increase saw a 100% month-over-month increase in May.”

While Jent says he kept his expectations low, he was pleasantly surprised with the turnout. “There’s a lot of uncertainty in the market, but I’ve talked to a lot of dealers and most of them were either flat or up,” he adds. 

Jeff Giagnocavo, co-owner of Gardners Mattress and More in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, says the holiday brought 50% more sales year over year, which was record-breaking for his store.

“We continue to put out a consistent message and then support it with action and customer affirmation to invest in a quality set to wake up happy with reduced pain to get better sleep. We dug into that message this year, so I feel our advertising was probably stronger this year compared to last.”

He says May has always been a strong month for his store and that he anticipated success based on the popular DTC brands his store carries. 

“Consumers recognize those names, and our advertising in addition to theirs creates awareness,” he says. “Consumers recognize big S brands but they don’t have the same connection to them as they do with DTC brands.”

The store’s advertising also focused on how financing makes things manageable, and Giagnocavo says that paid off. 

“An adjustable Tempur-Pedic sets for 100 bucks a month with 60 months financing,” he says. “But we don’t want to force anyone to do it or get them into debt. We have an honest, upfront conversation about financing and it’s on the uptick.”

It’s still unknown if a successful Memorial Day is a sign of a positive summer selling season to come, but it’s not discouraging. Only time will tell.

SOURCE: Bedding News Now/Alex Milstein

nationwidesouthwest.com/2025/06/12/mattress-retailers-optimistic-after-successful-memorial-day/

June 11, 2025

U.S. Energy

https://sherwood.news

June 4, 2025

PFA Spring Meeting

Polyurethane Foam Association Spring Meeting Tackles Key Issues,
Celebrates New Hall Of Famers

Jesse Mella of Leaf Polyol Wins Dr. Herman T. Stone Technical Excellence Awards
ST. PETERSBURG, FL (June 3, 2025)—The Polyurethane Foam Association’s Spring Meeting
in St Petersburg brought together more than 150 of the most influential people in the flexible
polyurethane foam industry to discuss
business conditions and the issues affecting
them.

The Historic Vinoy Autograph Hotel hosted
industry executives, researchers, EHS
specialists, marketers, and technologists for
networking and presentations on foam
sustainability, supply chains, artificial
intelligence, market trends, and the
regulatory environment.

“In spite of the uncertainties in the
marketplace, this meeting was very high
energy, with some of the best presentations
we’ve had in several years,” noted Dr.
Philippe Knaub, PFA President. “The
flexible foam industry continues to innovate
new products and processes, and continues
to move forward.”

Bill Gollnitz of Plastomer, PFA’s Technical Program
Moderator (L), recognizes Jesse Mella of Leaf Polyol as the
winner of this meeting’s Herman Stone Technical Excellence
Award. The audience of the Technical Program votes for the
winning presentation. As an indication of presentation
quality, all six eligible presentations received first place
votes.

PFA’s Industry Issues Session provided updates on end use markets, with special emphasis on
challenges in the auto industry. In addition, presenters covered topics such as using AI to
improve supply chain efficiency, recycling of mattresses returns, and regulatory issues.

The Thursday afternoon Technical Program focused heavily on sustainability, with presentations
on bio-polyols, polyols from CO2 recapture, recycling end-of-life (EOL) foam, factors affecting
mattress comfort, and new chemical additives. Speakers received some insightful questions,
which demonstrated that the topics connected with a sophisticated audience.
Following PFA’s Technical Program, Jesse Mella of Leaf Polyol was named winner of the Dr.
Herman Stone Technical Excellence Award. The award is voted on by attendees present for the
Technical Program. The award is named for Dr. Herman T. Stone, who served as PFA’s first
Technical Director. In 2007, Dr. Stone was inducted into the Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of
Fame.

Bill Gollnitz of Plastomer Corporation, a PFA Past President and Moderator of the Technical
Program, noted the quality of presentations was exceptional. “Of the presentations eligible for
the Herman Stone Award, all six received first place votes, and our audience was made up of the
top technical minds in our industry.”

Another highlight of the conference was the induction of two industry veterans into the Flexible
Polyurethane Foam Hall Of Fame. Michael Crowell and Helen Sullivan, both recently retired
from CertiPUR-US ® , were honored.

The Flexible Polyurethane Foam Hall of Fame was established to honor the leaders and
innovators of the industry and serves as an information source regarding the contribution of
individuals and companies who have significantly contributed to the growth and betterment of
the flexible polyurethane foam industry in North America.

Crowell served as the CertiPUR-US ® program’s executive director for the last decade. His
commitment to maintaining the program’s standards as a dynamic document, continuously
updated to reflect new safety and environmental regulations, has ensured its ongoing relevance.
He was honored with the organization’s Outstanding Leadership Award upon his retirement last
year.

Crowell’s career includes more than 40 years of senior management experience in the flexible
polyurethane foam industry, spanning technical, manufacturing, sales and marketing positions.
Before taking the helm at the Alliance for Flexible Polyurethane Foam, the nonprofit that
administers the CertiPUR-US ® program, he served as vice president of marketing and sales for
Flexible Foam Products. He previously was vice president of automotive sales for Foamex
International (now known as FXI).

Sullivan’s connection with polyurethanes began in 1983 as an advertising and public relations
agency account manager for the International Sleep Products Assn.’s Better Sleep Council.
During her decade-long tenure, she played a role in reshaping consumer behavior, shortening the
mattress replacement cycle and helping to establish a market for ultra-premium bedding. Her
creation of the “May Is Better Sleep Month” campaign helped boost mattress sales and increased
the use of polyurethane foam. The program earned Sullivan two of her three Public Relations
Society of America Silver Anvil awards.

Sullivan’s most enduring contribution to the polyurethane foam industry came through her work
with the CertiPUR-US ® program. As brand manager, communications strategist and continuous
improvement officer, she helped grow the program from its inception into a globally recognized
standard for foam safety and performance.

The Polyurethane Foam Association is a trade association founded in 1980 to help educate
regulators, users, allied industries, and others about flexible polyurethane foam. PFA provides
facts on environmental, health and safety issues and technical information on the performance of
flexible polyurethane foam (FPF) in consumer and industrial products. FPF is used as a key
comfort component in most upholstered furniture and mattress products, along with automotive
seating, carpet cushion, packaging, and numerous other applications.

To learn more, visit www.pfa.org.