Our furniture majors snapshot for the last quarter of 2018 demonstrates the familiar competition between Herman Miller and Steelcase, with the latter showing the highest spec rate at quarter’s close (5.46%). However, Steelcase is hot on the heels with a closing rate of 4.9%. Among the Majors, Haworth is third at 2.06%, while Knoll brings up the rear at 1.87%. This is the same order as at the end of Q318, but longer-term trends are markedly different, with Herman Miller dropping sharply at year’s end and Steelcase showing an uptick.

When we include subsidiary brands in our analysis, we see that Steelcase moves into the top spot at 8.24%. Herman Miller drops into second (7.55%). And Haworth and Knoll swap positions with the latter taking third at 2.9% and the former bringing up the rear with a spec rate of 2.73%.

We’ll stay tuned into the evolution of these various subsidiaries as we track their effects on the Spec Rates of the major brands. Look for a new report in April after Q119 and see Designer Pages Media for more market analysis articles courtesy of Design Analytics.