NHFA Helps Stop Military PX's From Expanding Furniture Sales

Furniture World Magazine

Steve DeHaan, executive Vice president of the National Home Furnishings Association (NHFA) announced the association's victory in Congress over the military Post Exchange (PX) restrictions on selling furniture. On April 27th, the Department of Defense notified the Senate and House Committees on Armed Services that it planned to remove all restrictions on the sale of home furnishings in military Post Exchanges. Unless these two committees intervened to block DOD, all restrictions would have been lifted, creating a potentially devastating threat to furniture retailers. Thanks to the diligent grassroots efforts of NHFA members, the House Committee on Armed Services has blocked DOD's plan to lift the restrictions on the Sale Of furniture A letter from the Committee was transmitted to the DOD on July 3 1, 2000. In the words of one Hill staffer to NHFA's Washington Counsel, "You should be pleased. Your furniture dealers did a good job. When the subcommittee discussed this issue, several specifically addressed the furniture issue." Essentially, the restrictions that have been in place since 1997 are as follows: PXs may not sell any item of finished furniture exceeding a $900-per-piece cost. No PX may undertake new capital construction or renovation of an exchange facility of any kind for the purpose, in whole or in part, of providing additional space in which to sell finished furniture. If any PX proposed to sell furniture, the installation commander or exchange manager is required to consult in advance with local merchants. DOD is directed to provide advance notice to the House Committee On Armed Services in which it lists all exchanges where finished furniture is proposed for sale (this notice must include any objections from local merchants to the sale of finished furniture). PXs may not sell televisions with screen sizes of more than 35 inches or large screen projection televisions. (These restrictions were lifted because they went unchallenged.) Founded in 1919, the National Home Furnishings Association has more than 3,000 members representing more than 10,000 stores nationwide.