Bernie & Phyl©ˆs Furniture Plans to Open Superstore in Braintree

Furniture World Magazine

Bernie & Phyl's Furniture, one of the fastest growing furniture retailers in the country with six stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, today announced plans to open a new superstore in Braintree, Massachusetts.  The company has purchased a 50,000 square foot building on a 3.25-acre site at 180 Wood Road in Braintree. Bernie & Phyl's Furniture expects to open for business in early 2005 after extensive renovations to the building are completed.  Approximately 50 employees will be hired to staff the Braintree store and to handle the increased demands at the company's Norton distribution center. This is the company's third major expansion in less than two years.  In August 2003, Bernie   Phyl's Furniture opened a 55,000 square foot superstore in Raynham, Massachusetts.  In October 2003, the retailer completed its 86,000 square foot superstore in Nashua, New Hampshire. The new Braintree superstore will give Bernie & Phyl's Furniture an expanded presence in the South Shore area, where the company got its start in 1983. The company's 12,000 square foot Weymouth store will be converted to a Bedding and Clearance Center. With a focus on high quality furniture at great prices, Bernie & Phyl's Furniture has created a highly successful niche in a very competitive marketplace.  Started by the Rubin family in 1983, the family-run business has grown from a small storefront into the largest independent furniture retailer in Massachusetts. The company's compounded annual growth rate has been 32% over the past five years. Earlier this year, Bernie & Phyl's Furniture received the prestigious Better Business Bureau Local Torch Award for Excellence, which is given to companies that embody the highest ethical standards. In 2002, the company was named ¯Retailer of the Year˜ by the National Home Furnishings Association, which is the highest honor in the retail home furnishings industry.  The company ranks 70 among the Top 100 furniture stores in the country according to Furniture/Today magazine. ¯We are very excited about opening a superstore in Braintree to serve our already loyal customer base here on the South Shore. We opened our first store in Quincy in 1983.  We bought our first building in Weymouth in 1984 and have been there ever since.  Opening a superstore in this region has been a dream of mine for many years,˜ said Bernie Rubin, president and co-founder of Bernie & Phyl's Furniture. ¯Our long-term growth strategy is to acquire sites with tremendous market potential and adding the Braintree store is exactly the type of opportunity we were looking for.˜ Leading real estate attorney Andrew I. Glincher, of Nixon Peabody LLP, served as legal counsel and Citizens Bank provided financing for the project.  Bernie & Phyl's Furniture is continuing to actively search for other superstore locations in New England as part of its fast-track growth plans. Bernie & Phyl©ˆs Furniture is the largest independent furniture retailer in Massachusetts and one of the Top 100 furniture stores in the country.  Based in Norton, MA, the company has six stores in New England: Everett, MA (Bedding and Clearance Center); Nashua, NH (86,000 square foot superstore completed in 2003); Raynham, MA (55,000 square foot superstore opened in 2003); Saugus, MA (50,000 square foot superstore opened in 1999); Westboro, MA (42,000 square foot superstore opened in 1997); and Weymouth, MA.