HIGH POINT, N.C. - Residential furniture manufacturer Stanley Furniture has suspended all domestic operations as of March 31. Employees at the company's plant in High Point, North Carolina will be temporarily furloughed.

In a statement issued to Furniture Today, the company cited challenges to production flow and logistics due to the pandemic, including delays in raw materials, lack of capacity in transportation routes, and 'shockingly' high ocean freight rates.

“We sincerely regret the inconveniences this pause in domestic operations will cause you,” the company wrote in a message to customers. “We will work hard to rectify the situation as quickly as possible and will communicate to you when that pathway becomes clear.”

Stanley plans to continue its operations overseas at its Vietnam plant. It hopes shipping will return to normal in late May.

The company directed questions about order status to [email protected]. That email address is monitored by Stanley workers in Vietnam.

Stanley was sold late 2017 to Churchill Downs, a private Vietnamese group, after years of financial struggle. The company is currently owned by Walter Blocker, who's also the chairman of the Vietnam Trade Alliance in Vietnam.