MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — Cooperative national furniture and mattress buying group Furniture First added a pair of retailers to its membership roll prior to April’s High Point Market.

Highland Furniture & Mattress, located in Kinston, N.C., was referred by another long-term member in the state. The family-owned store has served Eastern North Carolina since 1951 with an array of medium-high merchandise and is currently operated by Shawn Batts.

Woodchuck’s Fine Furniture & Décor, located in Jacksonville, Fla., was founded 40 years ago and serves a wide swath of North Florida. Doug Correia, owner of Woodchuck’s, takes a customer-centric approach to furniture retail by focusing on customer needs with a non-commissioned staff.

“Some of our newest members are direct results of referrals of current members,” said Andrew Kauffman, CEO of Furniture First. “I think that really says a lot about the nature of our group and what sets us apart. Our members care about the success of their fellow retailers. They know they can learn from one another and by joining, they become stronger retailers, meaning they are more resilient and more profitable.”

Both new members will be attending Furniture First’s annual symposium next week in Arlington, Texas, as well as a new member orientation in advance of the educational event. The orientation is an opportunity for the new members to get to know Furniture First’s staff and the programs they offer. In total, nine new members and one member with new leadership will be attending the orientation. The buying group expects approximately 370 in attendance from 86 sponsoring partners and 113 retailer members of the cooperative.

“Connections with other retailers are a big part of membership at Furniture First,” said Mike Kordik, director of member engagement at Furniture First. “Rebates are just where our benefits start. We hear all the time that the networking and idea sharing are just as valuable, if not more so in some cases.”

See also:

• 3 retailers to join Furniture First’s board in Q2
• How did some Furniture First members use their new High Point building?

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