FURNITURE FLOP.

• Author: Wanbaugh, Taylor
• Position: STATE WIDE: Triad

Looking down the barrel of $280 million of debt, High Point furniture manufacturer Heritage Home Group filed for bankruptcy protection in late July in order to restructure the company and complete the sale of its brands, including Thomasville, Broyhill, Hickory Chair and Maitland-Smith.

The Chapter 11 petition lists between $100 million and $500 million in both assets and liabilities for the company. Hickory-based RHF Investments, owner of the Shuford family's Century Furniture, Hancock & Moore and Highland House, will buy the company's Hickory Chair, La Barge, Maitland-Smith and Pearson brands for $17.5 million. In mid-June, HHG was in final negotiations with a buyer for its Thomasville and Broyhill business units.

"I can't tell you how much I admire the Shufords and their Century Furniture," says Jerry Epperson, an industry analyst in Richmond, Va. "A lot of people in the industry, including some competitors, will try to help these companies come back."

Heritage Home plans to hold an auction within the next month to solicit competing bids for its remaining companies. The company also said PNC Financial Services Group is providing $98 million in financing related to the bankruptcy filing. That will boost the company's liquidity by as much as $ 18 million as it restructures, according to HHG.

HHG's sales have been declining rapidly over the last few years leading up to the Chapter 11 petition. Sales for the first five months of 2018 were down 27% compared with the previous year, according to a court...