ST. LOUIS — A Columbus, Ohio-based furniture and appliance retailer is closing for business.
American Freight this month began shuttering its 370-store footprint, which includes four St. Louis-area locations:
- 639 Gravois Bluff Blvd. in Fenton
- 9801 Page Ave. in Overland
- 55 Ludwig Drive in Fairview Heights
- 2409 N. Highway 67 in Florissant
According to the bankruptcy filings, American Freight has about 344 company-owned locations – including 13 in Missouri and 11 in Illinois, according to its website – and 13 franchise-operated locations, which are not part of the bankruptcy proceeding.
The company said the decision to shutter American Freight is due to “sustained inflation and macroeconomic challenges facing the large durable goods sector.”
Furniture retailing has faced major challenges since the Covid-19 pandemic when many consumers reportedly used both the time at home and government stimulus payments to refurnish their houses.
Trade publication Furniture Today reported that 83% of its annual top 100 retailers saw sales decline last year. That was up from 50% in 2022.
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