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FURNITURE BUYING INDEX RISES SLIGHTLY Charleston, SC May 1, 2009 – The Furniture Buying Index inched up two points this month to a reading of 58. Although this is a positive move, the Index is still at an extremely low level. Britt Beemer, Chairman of America’s Research Group, said, "Even though this is a slight improvement, a reading of 58 is still very, very low." "We will have to continue to watch the Index in the coming months and hope that this trend continues," Beemer commented. "Hopefully the Index will continue to rise and will get above the 70 point level by the end of the year," he concluded. The Furniture Buying Index is compiled each month by America's Research Group from interviews with 5,000-8,000 consumers across the country. In a typical month, 80 percent of the consumers interviewed can name a specific furniture item they intend to buy. The Index's mark signifies what percent of the benchmark 80% actually have a particular item in mind. Britt Beemer is chairman of America's Research Group, a full-service consumer behavior research company based in Charleston, SC. ARG provides research and strategic planning services to leading manufacturers and retailers of consumer goods across North America. |