Photo courtesy of Arkansas Economic Development Commission
Furniture Factory Outlet announced today that it will relocate its corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations to Fort Smith from Muldrow, Oklahoma. The relocation will create 64 new, full-time jobs in Fort Smith.
“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,” FFO president and CEO Larry Zigerelli 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.”
The new headquarters will be located in the 618,000-square-foot Spartan Logistics Building that once housed the former Whirlpool distribution center. FFO will occupy approximately 180,000 square feet of the building.
“It’s always encouraging to have a company decide to locate a corporate headquarters in Arkansas,” Gov. Asa Hutchinson said about the announcement. “Companies from across the U.S. and internationally realize that our central location and versatile workforce make Arkansas an ideal destination.”
FFO opened its first store in Fort Smith on Rogers Avenue in 1984, and today, the company owns and operates 36 retail stores including 17 in Arkansas, which employ 151 people. Among the brands offered by FFO are Broyhill, Serta and Flexsteel as well as Natural Elements mattresses with prices 30 to 50 percent lower than name brands.
“Two bold moves led by two outstanding companies put this project in motion,” said Tim Allen, CEO and president of the Fort Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce. “Logistics made a bold move to acquire and repurpose the former Whirlpool Distribution facility for their growing operations. Today, FFO Home made another bold move by locating their corporate headquarters and manufacturing operations in the Spartan Logistics building. The chamber also worked hand-in-hand with the Arkansas Economic Development Commission and Mr. Bob Cooper with R.H. Ghan & Cooper Commercial Properties to make this project a reality for Fort Smith.”
