According to reports, recently, American furniture retailer FrontRoom Furnishings will close four of its remaining five flagship stores and shops. The upcoming stores include three flagship stores in Columbus, Dublin, Newark, Ohio, and an independent furniture wholesale store called Fifty-Off in Springdale.

This "closed shop wave" was less than a year before the last FrontRoom closed three Bedrooms First stores.

FrontRoom said in the announcement that the flagship store in Polaris Parkway in Columbus has not been closed. “Now, we will hold one of the biggest sales events of all time,” the retailer said in a closed store announcement. “We look forward to serving you for the last time.”

Nine months ago, FrontRoom just announced the closure of three Bedrooms First showrooms that had been in operation for 10 years.

It is reported that FrontRoom's “closed store storm” may be closely related to the increasingly fierce competition in the furniture market in central Ohio. In the past four years, at least four large furniture retailers have entered the US Columbus city, including Big Sandy Superstores, Morris Furniture, Ikea and Art Van Furniture.

However, according to Tom Liddell, senior vice president of PFP, a furniture promotion planning company hired by FrontRoom, FrontRoom is still a strong player in the furniture industry in the region. In the face of fierce market competition, FrontRoom tried to take the right strategic approach, withdraw from operations in certain regions, and look for opportunities to return strongly in the future.

FrontRoom Furnishings has been in business for 13 years. But according to the company's official website, its history dates back to 1959, when Townsend "Towny" Quinn founded Westgate Furniture in Columbus, the predecessor of FrontRoom Furnishings. Westgate Furniture later became The Living Room, and later became Sofa Express, a brand with 63 stores. Sofa Express was eventually sold to one of the major suppliers.