Heritage Home Group plans to relocate headquarters to High Point, North Carolina, hoping to occupy 100,000 sq. ft. former showroom building by year's end; move will create 200 jobs at new site, 26 St. Louis employees to relocate

Aimee Bellah

HIGH POINT, North Carolina , June 26, 2014 (High Point Enterprise) – Heritage Home Group, the parent company of several furniture brands, is a step closer to moving its corporate headquarters to High Point.

The High Point Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of the company's request to rezone a 100,000-square-foot showroom it owns at 1925 Eastchester Drive to enable it to convert the site into an office building and add parking.

The company, which was formed by private-equity firm KPS Capital Partners to acquire Furniture Brands International's assets out of bankruptcy last year, plans to create more than 200 jobs at its new headquarters and relocate 26 of its employees from St. Louis, said Roxanne Bernstein, chief marketing officer for Heritage Home Group.

If the High Point City Council approves the rezoning request July 21, "we will be able to officially declare that as our new corporate headquarters. That is our preferred site."

The news of potential job gains for High Point has been tempered by recent area plant closures and employee layoffs by Heritage Home Group.

The company will close the Pearson Co. furniture plant in High Point and eliminate 86 jobs by August. In March, it closed two Thomasville facilities and laid off 84 workers.

The company is considering other sites in the Triad, but "we're incredibly hopeful that we will not need to go to our backup options and that we'll be able to bring the new jobs to High Point," Bernstein said. "We believe (High Point) to be the heart of the furniture industry, so that's why we want it to be our home."

The Eastchester Drive site has been a showroom for three Heritage Home Group brands -- Henredon, Maitland-Smith and La Barge.

The company's other brands include Thomasville, Lane, Broyhill, Hickory Chair, Drexel Heritage and Lane Venture.

Bernstein said if the company chooses High Point, its goal will be to begin adding jobs during the third quarter and occupy the building prior to the end of the year.

"They're really good, high-quality jobs. It's a professional headquarters building," said Bernstein, adding that the company will not receive incentives for the project if it goes forward.

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