Discount furniture chain coming to Charlotte, already planning 3 more stores here
Bob’s Discount Furniture will make its Charlotte debut in time for Memorial Day weekend in University City, with three more area stores already planned for the area.
Bob’s will open May 21 at 8215 University City Blvd. in the former Big Lots location, the Manchester, Connecticut-based furniture retailer said. The Charlotte store is about a mile south of Ashley Store and Outlet and east of Furniture Row, and just over a mile from IKEA off Interstate 85.
Bob’s Discount Furniture sells furniture, mattresses and home decor. Each Bob’s Discount Furniture store has a cafe with complimentary coffee, candy, cookies and ice cream.
The 35,115-square-foot store opening is part of Bob’s rapid expansion across the U.S. The store will have about 20 employees.
Another Charlotte area store at 9575 South Blvd. in Pineville is expected to open in mid-June.
Bob’s also plans to open stores in Matthews and Hickory in fall 2026 and winter 2027, respectively, the company said.
“We are excited to expand our footprint with the opening of our new store at University City and the other three Charlotte stores later in the year,” the company said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer. Bob’s sees Charlotte as a city of growth and opportunity.
Bob’s Discount Furniture expands with NC debut
Last year, the furniture retailer said it would open 20 stores across the country, including entering the Southeast market and debuting in North Carolina. Six stores have opened in Cary, Durham, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, Wilmington and Winston-Salem.
The furniture chain has seen positive results from opening its first North Carolina stores, driven by the state’s growing population and rich furniture heritage.
Along with the Charlotte-area store openings, two stores in South Carolina are planned in Spartanburg and Greenville.
About Bob’s Discount Furniture stores
Bob’s Discount Furniture was founded in 1991, and now has more than 210 stores in 26 states with over 5,800 employees.
The publicly-traded company was acquired by private equity giant Bain Capital in 2014. Bob’s is the seventh-largest U.S. furniture chain, according to Furniture Today.
Bob’s reported first quarter net revenue of $578.1 million, up 8.5% from $532.8 million compared to last year, driven by new stores and comparable sales growth. The company’s gross profit rose 8.4% to $256.5 million compared to the same time last year.
NC furniture industry
North Carolina is known as the “Furniture Capital of the World,” despite more furniture being imported to the U.S.
North Carolina has the largest furniture workforce in the U.S., with about 32,000 employees and over 850 furniture manufacturers, according to the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina website.
High Point hosts the largest furnishings industry trade show in the world, with more than 75,000 attendees from more than 100 countries, held twice a year. Top furniture companies in the state are Ashley Furniture, Century, Vanguard and Sealy.
But in just the past four years, the furniture industry has seen closings furniture makers like Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams in Taylorsville putting 533 employees out of business. Ashley Furniture cut over 100 jobs at its Statesville plant as part of a company consolidation.
President Donald Trump touted North Carolina’s furniture industry during National Small Business Week this month saying tariffs will make the U.S. more competitive. “We’re going to bring all the furniture back to North Carolina, and you’re going to see it’ll be as robust as it was 25, 30 years ago,” he said.
