Hooker Furniture trims sales force by 20%
15 rep positions eliminated
Thomas Russell -- Kids Today, 12/15/2009 8:29:00 AM
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Hooker Furniture says it has eliminated 15 sales rep positions, or 20% of what was an estimated 75-member sales force, in response to the slow economy, reports Kids Today sister publication, Furniture/Today.
The case goods and upholstery source said in a statement that the restructuring involved realigning some former single-state territories into multiple-state territories. The 15 people affected represented Hooker and its subsidiaries Bradington-Young and Sam Moore.
Ray Harm, senior vice president of sales, said that despite the cutbacks, the company still views having a strong sales force as key to its success.
“We have always felt and continue to feel that we have one of the most skilled and professional sales rep organizations in the industry, and that the relationships our sales reps maintain with our customers are a key competitive advantage,” he said. “Our sales representative force has been a core part of our corporate strategy during our first 85 years of operation, and we view our sales force to be just as vital going forward.”
The announcement followed last week’s report that Hooker’s third-quarter sales were down 23.8% from the same period last year, to $52.6 million.
“We regret that the economic conditions and shrinkage of sales necessitated that some reps be displaced, but part of our motivation was to insure that the remaining rep force had adequate incomes to support themselves and their families,” Harm said. “We are appreciative to all the reps for their service, dedication and professionalism.”
He said the company believes business conditions are slowly improving. As the economy continues to improve, he said, the company may find it needs to add reps to fully service its customers.
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