Furniture E-commerce Readiness Score
Many furniture brands failed to adapt like Flexsteel did. This tool helps you assess your online presence based on key factors that contributed to Flexsteel's downfall. Answer the following questions to get your score.
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Flexsteel didn’t just fade away-it collapsed suddenly in early 2025, leaving dealers, customers, and workers stunned. For over 130 years, Flexsteel was one of America’s most trusted names in recliners. You’d see their logo on chairs in living rooms from rural Iowa to suburban Florida. But by February 2025, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, closed its last manufacturing plant in Dubuque, Iowa, and stopped shipping orders. No warning. No sale. Just silence.
They Were Too Slow to Change
Flexsteel built its reputation on durability. Their steel frames, patented Blue Steel spring systems, and thick cushion foam made their recliners last decades. That was the selling point. But in the 2010s, consumer tastes shifted. People stopped wanting heavy, bulky recliners with wood trim and manual levers. They wanted sleek, low-profile designs. They wanted power recliners with USB ports, massage functions, and smart controls. They wanted to buy online, not at a showroom. Flexsteel kept making the same chairs they always had. Their product line barely changed between 2015 and 2022. Meanwhile, companies like La-Z-Boy updated their models every year. Even smaller brands like Floyd and Article started offering modern recliners with clean lines and direct-to-consumer pricing. Flexsteel didn’t just lag behind-they looked dated.The Online Shopping Gap
By 2020, 60% of furniture buyers started their search online. But Flexsteel didn’t have a strong e-commerce presence. Their website was clunky, slow to load, and didn’t show real customer photos. They still relied on third-party retailers like Walmart and Ashley Furniture to sell most of their products. That meant they had zero control over pricing, customer experience, or brand image. When Amazon and Wayfair started offering free shipping, easy returns, and 3D room visualizers, Flexsteel couldn’t compete. Their dealers didn’t even have good websites. One Iowa dealer told a local paper in 2023: "We still print brochures. We don’t even have a live chat option."Costs Kept Rising, Prices Didn’t
The cost of steel, foam, and fabric jumped 40% between 2020 and 2024. Shipping fees doubled. Labor costs in Iowa rose with inflation. Flexsteel’s profit margins shrank. But they refused to raise prices significantly. Why? Because they were afraid of losing market share to cheaper imports from China and Vietnam. So they cut corners. They reduced foam density in cushions. They switched from solid hardwood frames to engineered wood in some models. They cut warranty support. Customers noticed. Online reviews dropped from 4.5 stars in 2019 to 3.1 stars by 2024. One buyer wrote: "My Flexsteel recliner squeaked after six months. My old one from 1998 still works fine. What happened?"
Dealers Turned Against Them
Flexsteel’s dealer network was once their biggest strength. But by 2023, over 40% of their independent retailers had stopped carrying their line. Why? Because they couldn’t make money selling Flexsteel chairs. The wholesale prices were high, but the retail prices couldn’t go up. The chairs didn’t sell fast. And when they did, customers complained. Meanwhile, competitors like Stressless and Ekornes offered better margins, better designs, and better marketing support. Dealers switched. Flexsteel’s sales volume dropped 58% from 2019 to 2024. By 2024, they were selling fewer than 200,000 recliners a year-down from 750,000 at their peak.The Final Blow: Debt and Mismanagement
In 2021, Flexsteel’s leadership took on $180 million in new debt to fund a failed expansion into outdoor furniture. They bought a small brand called Timberline, hoping to tap into the patio market. But their outdoor chairs were poorly made. They didn’t weather well. Returns hit 35%. The division lost $22 million in two years. At the same time, the company spent $12 million on a new corporate headquarters in Dubuque-a flashy building with glass walls and a coffee bar. Meanwhile, their factories were running at 50% capacity. Workers were laid off. Morale collapsed. When the economy slowed in 2023, Flexsteel couldn’t cover its debt payments. Creditors demanded repayment. The company had no cash reserves. By December 2024, they missed payroll. In January 2025, the board admitted they had no path forward. They filed for bankruptcy on February 3, 2025.What Happened to Their Products?
After the bankruptcy, Flexsteel’s assets were sold off. The brand name and designs were bought by a private equity firm that plans to relaunch the line under a new company called Flexsteel Home. But it won’t be the same. The new owners have no factories. They’ll outsource production to China and sell online. No more Dubuque-made chairs. No more Blue Steel springs made in Iowa. Existing warranties are still honored-but only if you bought your chair from an authorized dealer before February 2025. If you bought one from a discount store or online reseller, you’re out of luck. Customer service is now handled by a third-party call center in India. Response times? Two to three weeks.
Who’s Filling the Void?
Today, the recliner market is split between three groups:- High-end luxury: Ekornes Stressless, La-Z-Boy’s premium lines, and Italy’s Poltrona Frau. These cost $2,500-$5,000 but last 20+ years.
- Modern direct-to-consumer: Floyd, Article, and Burrow offer sleek, modular recliners with app controls and 100-night trials. Prices range from $800-$1,400.
- Value-focused: Walmart’s Home Decor Collection and Amazon’s own brands. They’re cheap, but most don’t last more than 3-5 years.
Few brands now match Flexsteel’s old promise: "Built to last." But the ones that do are either too expensive or too modern for the generation that grew up with Flexsteel.
What Can Other Furniture Brands Learn?
Flexsteel’s downfall wasn’t one mistake. It was a string of them:- Ignoring design trends for too long
- Refusing to invest in e-commerce
- Letting costs rise without raising prices
- Alienating their dealers
- Spending money on the wrong things
They were proud of their American-made heritage. But pride without adaptation is just stubbornness. The market didn’t change because Flexsteel didn’t want it to. It changed because customers did.
Today, if you walk into a furniture store, you’ll see dozens of recliners. But you won’t see the Flexsteel name. The chairs are still there-in basements, rec rooms, and nursing homes. They’re the ones that never broke. The ones that still work. The ones that outlasted the company that made them.
Did Flexsteel go out of business completely?
Yes, the original Flexsteel Industries company ceased operations in February 2025 after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Its manufacturing plants closed, and its workforce was laid off. However, the brand name and design rights were purchased by a private equity firm, which plans to relaunch Flexsteel as a new company called Flexsteel Home. This new version will not manufacture in the U.S. and will rely on overseas production.
Are Flexsteel recliners still worth buying today?
Only if you’re buying a used one from before 2025. New Flexsteel recliners are no longer being made by the original company. Any "new" Flexsteel chairs you see for sale are either leftover inventory or from the new, offshore version. Older Flexsteel chairs made before 2020 are often still in excellent condition and can be found on resale sites like Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. Many people report their 20-year-old Flexsteels still working perfectly.
What replaced Flexsteel in the market?
Three main types of recliners now fill the space Flexsteel left: luxury brands like Ekornes and La-Z-Boy’s premium lines, modern direct-to-consumer brands like Floyd and Article, and budget options from Walmart and Amazon. The luxury brands focus on craftsmanship and longevity. The modern brands offer sleek design and tech features. The budget brands are cheap but short-lived. None fully replicate Flexsteel’s old balance of durability, comfort, and American-made value.
Can I still get warranty service for my old Flexsteel chair?
If you bought your Flexsteel recliner from an authorized dealer before February 2025, your warranty is still honored-but only for parts and repairs, not labor. You’ll need to pay for a local technician to fix it. If you bought it from a discount retailer, online reseller, or after the bankruptcy filing, your warranty is void. Customer service is now handled by a third-party provider in India, and response times are slow.
Why did Flexsteel fail when other American furniture brands survived?
Brands like La-Z-Boy and Herman Miller adapted. They invested in online sales, updated their designs, and kept their manufacturing in the U.S. Flexsteel didn’t. They clung to tradition without modernizing. They lost control of their distribution. They took on too much debt. And they ignored what customers actually wanted. Other companies changed with the market. Flexsteel waited for the market to come back to them-and it never did.
