Cabinet sales for March decreased 2.9 percent compared to sales for March 2010, according to a recent survey of cabinet manufacturers by the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Assn. The KCMA's monthly Trend of Business Survey found stock cabinet sales decreased 9.6 percent and custom sales decreased 10.4 percent, while semi-custom sales increased 5.3 percent.

The year-to-date sales also shows semi-custom sales faring better, down 0.8 percent, compared to a decrease in stock sales of 7.9 percent for the year, with custom sales down 5.7 percent.

Back in February, KCMA Executive Director Dick Titus stated that an uncertain housing market and slow, but recovering, economy would be the biggest challenges facing the cabinet industry this year. “Predictions for 2011 are for sluggish and slow growth, in the 1 percent to 3 percent range in terms of units sold,” he said. “The market will continue to be impacted by restrictive credit availability, foreclosures, declining housing prices, unemployment exceeding 9 percent, increased health care costs, costly new government regulations and scary national debt.”

The KCMA Trend of Business Survey provides an overview of the industry; participants include stock, semi-custom and custom companies whose combined sales represent over 50 percent of the U.S. cabinet market.

Posted by Karen Koenig