GlobeNewswire Inc | Oct 14, 2020 09:07AM EDT

October 14, 2020

HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Home Meridian International (HMI), a division of Hooker Furniture Corporation based here, will consolidate its East Coast warehousing operations in a new 800,000-square-foot distribution facility in Liberty County, Georgia strategically located near the Port of Savannah. The state-of-the-art distribution center is expected to be fully operational by Fall of 2021, the company said. The division also maintains a West Coast distribution facility in Redlands, CA which is expected to be unaffected by the East Coast consolidation.

HMI maintains locations around the world, with brands under its portfolio including Pulaski Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Furniture, Samuel Lawrence Hospitality, Prime Resources International, Accentrics Home, and HMIdea. The Liberty County facility is strategically located to reach nearly all of the U.S. population within 36 hours, reducing transportation costs, and increasing operating efficiencies. The locations proximity to the Port of Savannah played a major role in the project, as the company is expected to import more than 8,000 cargo container units a year.

We are pleased by the opportunity to better support our customers through consolidating our HMI inventory in this state-of-the-art, high-bay, 800,000-square-foot facility located near a major port, said Paul B. Toms Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Hooker Furniture Corporation. As robust demand for products serviced out of our warehouses continues to increase, this will better position us to grow.

HMI will leave multiple warehouses in the Madison-Mayodan area of North Carolina, some of them older facilities, to consolidate in the new facility that is also located near major interstate highways. This will allow us to service our customers better by being in a more efficient, consolidated warehouse, said Toms. Demand for products in the portion of our business supported by warehouse inventory, including e-commerce, is robust, and this move puts in place the infrastructure to support future growth.

Toms said the company is grateful to the approximately 60 employees who have staffed HMIs warehouses in the Madison-Mayodan area for over 15 years, and our intention is to offer continuing employment opportunities to these employees, either in Georgia or our Martinsville, Va. facilities.

About Hooker Furniture Hooker Furniture Corporation (NASDAQ:HOFT), in its 97th year of business, is a designer, marketer, and importer of casegoods (wooden and metal furniture), leather-and fabric-upholstered furniture for the residential, hospitality, and contract markets. The Company also operates U.S. production of premium residential custom leather and custom fabric-upholstered furniture. It is ranked among the nations largest publicly traded furniture sources, based on 2019 shipments to U.S. retailers, according to a 2020 survey by a leading trade publication.

About Home Meridian International Furnishing the Future is not just a mantra, but a corporate standard of operation at HMI, a division of Hooker Furniture. HMI is a next-generation global design and marketing company. The proud parent of a family of brands that covers a wide spectrum of home furnishing categories, HMI is uniquely positioned to use economies of scale to create exceptional value for its retail and e-commerce partners. With a commitment to adaptability and continuous improvement, HMI provides the right product at the right time and the right price.

For more information, contact:Paul B. Toms Jr.Chairman and Chief Executive OfficerPhone: (276) 632-2133, orPaul A. Huckfeldt, Senior Vice President, Finance & Accounting & Chief Financial OfficerPhone: (276) 666-3949