Bernie & Phyl's Furniture Plans to Open Nashua, NH Superstore

Furniture World Magazine

Bernie & Phyl's Furniture, one of the fastest growing furniture retailers in the country with five Massachusetts stores, announced plans to open a superstore in Nashua, NH. The company has purchased Merrimack Wayside Furniture, which includes a 41,000 square foot building on a 1.87 acre parcel on the Daniel Webster Highway. The retailer has filed plans with the city's Planning Board to expand the existing location to a three-story, 86,000 square foot building. Bernie & Phyl's Furniture expects to open for business in early September using the existing building, while the permitting process for the new structure is underway. The Nashua store, when completed, will be one of the largest in the retailer's chain and its first outside of Massachusetts. With a focus on high quality furniture at great prices, Bernie & Phyl's Furniture has created a highly successful niche in a very competitive marketplace. Started by the Rubin family in 1983, the family-run business has grown from a small storefront into the largest independent furniture retailer in Massachusetts. The retailer has grown a phenomenal 258% over the past five years and is among the Top 100 furniture stores in the country according to Furniture/Today magazine. "We are very excited about this acquisition. We have been actively looking to purchase a site for another superstore and this location is the perfect complement to our existing stores," said Bernie Rubin, president and co-founder of Bernie & Phyl's Furniture. "We see tremendous opportunity in this market and believe that customers in southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts are looking for the unparalleled shopping experience we offer." Approximately 25 employees have already been hired to staff the Nashua store's opening and another 50 employees will be hired once the new building is done. Bernie & Phyl's Furniture has pledged to continue to uphold the integrity that Merrimack Wayside Furniture owner Ed Kaufman and his father before him have stood for as merchants in the area for over 50 years. Leading real estate attorney Andrew Glincher of Nixon Peabody LLP served as legal counsel and Citizen's Bank served as financial advisor in the transaction. Bernie & Phyl's Furniture has been building its infrastructure over the past year to support its major expansion plans. The company recently completed a large-scale addition to its distribution center in Norton, MA and converted the entire facility to a high-tech GERS Radio Frequency tracking system. Ten acres of land adjacent to its headquarters were purchased as well, so that additional buildings can be added as the company continues its fast-track growth. The retailer also just launched an award-winning e-commerce web site (www.bernphyl.com) that will feature every product in every furniture category that they carry. The new web site, which is another facet of the company's strategic growth plans, allows Bernie & Phyl's Furniture to serve all of its customers' furniture shopping needs both on-line and in-store. The site, which was designed by leading internet development company BigBad, Inc., was recently honored with the top 2001 AXIEM (Absolute Excellence in Electronic Media) Award in the internet category for its excellence in design and functionality. Bernie & Phyl's Furniture is the largest independent furniture retailer in Massachusetts and one of the Top 100 furniture stores in the country. Based in Norton, MA, the company has five Massachusetts stores in Cambridge, Everett, Saugus (50,000 square foot superstore opened in 1999), Westboro (42,000 square foot superstore opened in 1997), and Weymouth. Bernie & Phyl's Furniture had $54.1 million in sales for the year 2000 and currently employs over 200 people. Last year, Bernie & Phyl's Furniture was named "2000 Retailer of the Year" by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.