GRAND RAPIDS, MI –The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Assn. said December orders grew two percent year-over-year to $875 million, a three percent drop from November, according to Reuters. This continues a trend toward slower growth for office furniture orders, an analyst said. The growth of shipments also slowed, increasing only five percent to $1.01 billion compared to 8 percent growth in November. Data from 2006 averages out to a year-over-year order growth of seven percent per month, while 2005 averages were 11 percent per month, according to Raymond James analyst Budd Bugatch. Read more.