Ample supply, competitive prices spell buyers' market.(Office Furniture)

Purchasing, September, 2003 by Avery, Susan

As the third quarter comes to a close, demand for office furniture has finally started to pick up. Still it will be a while before the industry comes close to selling the volume of furniture manufacturers shipped in the heady years of the late 1990s. Sales of office furniture--much of it to growing technology companies and Internet start-ups--reached $13.2 billion in 2000.

Now, after two years of double-digit declines, it appears that sales of office furniture have started to stabilize. A forecast from the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer's Association (BIFMA) shows shipments falling by 8.5% to $8.14 billion in 2003. According to the association, cautious corporate investment outlook and weak office construction will continue to...

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