U.S. furniture factory orders climb

Furniture factory orders in October were 11 percent above October 2010, according to the latest survey of manufacturers and distributors by the accounting firm Smith Leonard. The October increase came…

Furniture factory orders in October were 11 percent above October 2010, according to the latest survey of manufacturers and distributors by the accounting firm Smith Leonard.

The October increase came on the heels of a 12 percent jump in September and a 9 percent increase in August. For the first 10 months of 2011, orders were 7 percent ahead of the same period in 2010, according to the survey reported by Furniture Today.

The survey also showed that shipments in October were 6 percent ahead of October 2010, the order backlog was 16 percent ahead of October 2010, and factory employment was up 1 percent.