St. Louis, MO, June 8-- Furniture Brands International Inc., the nation's largest residential furniture company, said Tuesday that it will cut about 1,250 jobs as it closes four plants in North Carolina and imports more of its goods.
Furniture Brands will cut more than 600 jobs as it closes its plant in Thomasville. The company will close two plants in Lenoir, eliminating 484 jobs there. And about 160 workers will be fired at a Rutherfordton facility, which the company plans to convert into an import distribution center.
Furniture Brands said it is importing more of its goods and trying to cut costs at its U.S. facilities to increase its margins.
The layoffs are the latest blow to North Carolina's hard-hit manufacturing sector. As trade barriers have come down over the last 10 years or so, textiles and furniture--traditional strengths of the state's economy--have been battered by competition from foreign manufacturers that benefit from cheaper labor and lower business costs.
