Foreign Furniture Imports to Continue to Rise, Analyst Says.

Byline: Fran Daniel

Nov. 27--Imports of foreign furniture will continue to increase and U.S. manufacturers need to adapt to that reality, Jerry Epperson, a furniture analyst, said yesterday.

Addressing a forum on the challenges and opportunities in the international furniture market, Epperson said that last year 43 percent of all the wood products sold in the United States were imports, of which about half came from Asia. Of this, two-thirds came from China.

"This year, the number will be higher," said Epperson, who estimates that imports from China will account for 60 percent of wood products sold in the United States in 2002.

He said that U.S. manufacturers who believe that …