Ashley Furniture Creates 450 New Jobs in North Carolina
Ashley Furniture HP_1.jpg
North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory visited Ashley Furniture's High Point Market showroom to help the company announce its commitment to creating 450 new jobs at its recently opened Davie County, NC, plant.

Photo By North Carolina Govenor's Office

HIGH POINT, NC -- Ashley Furniture made news in the run up to the 2015 High Point Market (it opens Oct. 17) with the announcement that it is adding 450 new jobs at its Davie County, North Carolina manufacturing plant over the next five years. Ashley officials said during a press conference at its 135,000-square-foot showroom on the 9th floor of the International Home Furnishings Center, that it will invest approximately $8.7 million at that location through 2019.

Ashley's latest investment news comes on the heels of the furniture company's 2012 expansion plans, which included a commitment of creating 550 jobs and investing $80 million between 2012 and 2015. According to the company, it exceeded those goals with the creation of 1,100 jobs and an investment of more than $250 million for a state-of-the-art furniture manufacturing and distribution facility and related training and development activities at its Advance, NC, facilities.

NEWS

Ashley Furniture Nixes Sales, Moves to Expand

Ashley Furniture, which is ending exploration of a sale of its business, continues with its expansion into e-commerce. A new Tampa, FL campus for its Ashcomm LLC online subsidiary is expected to house more than 100 employees by the end of the year.


Ashley Furniture's latest expansion announcement, which was accompanied by an addition 2 million square feet of factory and warehouse expansion at other locations, turns the privately held residential furnishing firm's strategy 180 degrees from its efforts earlier this year to find a buyer.

An award from the state’s Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) program to Ashley will help facilitate its further expansion. The reimbursements may total as much as $4.6 million from 2016 through 2027. Receipt of the award is based on verification by NC Commerce and NC Revenue that the company has met job creation and capital investment requirements. JDIGs reimburse new and expanding companies a portion of the newly created tax-base stemming from the operations with the goal of increasing the overall tax benefit to the State of North Carolina.

NEWS

OSHA Cites Ashley Furniture After Another Amputation

Ashley Furniture has been cited by OSHA for two wilful violations after a 56-year-old employee had his right ring finger amputated following a March 11 incident. This is the second incident of its kind since January, making it a willful violation. The residential furniture maker faces fines of $83,200 in the July 21 citations.


Ashley also announced it is adding more than 2,000,000 square feet of manufacturing and distribution space to its U.S. facilities over the next 18 months:

  •     California - 1 million square feet
  •     Texas - 450,000 square feet (Ashley’s first expansion into this market)
  •     Mississippi - 175,000 square feet
  •     Wisconsin - 150,000 square feet plus Chapel Hill Advanced Technology Center
  •     North Carolina - possibly an additional 500,000 square feet for an expansion in 2016

Arcadia, WI-based Ashley is one of the world’s largest residential furniture company, employing more than 25,000 people globally.

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About the author
Michaelle Bradford | Editor

Michaelle Bradford, CCI Media, is Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine and Woodworking Network editor. She has more than 20 years of experience covering the woodworking and design industry, including visits to custom cabinet shops, closet firms and design studios throughout North America. As Editor of Closets & Organized Storage magazine under the Woodworking Network brand, Michaelle’s responsibilities include writing, editing, and coordinating editorial content as well as managing annual design competitions like the Top Shelf Design Awards. She is also a contributor to FDMC and other Woodworking Network online and print media owned by CCI Media.