Icon (Close Menu)

Logout

Furniture Factory Outlet to Move Headquarters to Fort Smith

2 min read

Furniture Factory Outlet said Tuesday that it will move its corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations from Muldrow, Oklahoma, to Fort Smith. 

The furniture maker and retailer said the move will create 64 full-time jobs.

“Moving our operations to Fort Smith provides the strategic foundation for our aggressive long term growth plans, and further builds on our commitment to Arkansas,” Larry Zigerelli, president and CEO, said in a news release. “I want to thank our partners Spartan Logistics, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and the Fort Smith Chamber of Commerce for making this a reality.”

FFO will move into the 618,000 SF Spartan Logistics Building that once housed a Whirlpool distribution center. The company said it will occupy about 180,000 SF.

Gov. Asa Hutchinson joined Fort Smith leaders and company officials at the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce to announce the move.

“It’s always encouraging to have a company decide to locate a corporate headquarters in Arkansas,” Hutchinson said. “Companies from across the U.S. and internationally realize that our central location and versatile workforce make Arkansas an ideal destination. Thanks to FFO Home for choosing to make this significant investment in Arkansas. We are proud to now include FFO Home among the companies that call Arkansas home.”

The Arkansas Economic Development Commission provided incentives for the move: a cash rebate of 3.9 percent of payroll for new jobs over four years, and $200,000 from governor’s quick-action fund for site improvements.

FFO opened its first Arkansas store in 1984 on Rogers Avenue in Fort Smith. The company now owns and operates 36 retail stores in the Midwest, including 17 in Arkansas employing 151 people.

FFO sells Broyhill, Serta, Flexsteel and Natural Elements brands.

Spartan Logistics purchased the former Whirlpool distribution center last year. Whirlpool closed the 45-year-old plant in 2012, affecting 1,000 active employees. The complex sits on a 145-acre parcel at 6400 Jenny Lind Road.

Send this to a friend