Furniture Brands Shunning Internet Sales

At a time when it seems as if all you need is “dot-com” in your company’s name to be a hit on Wall Street, Furniture Brands International Inc. is saying no to the Internet. The largest U.S. home furniture maker said it won’t sell its products on the Internet and won’t do business with any company that doesn’t have a showroom. The maker of Broyhill, Lane and Thomasville furniture said online retailers aren’t always committed to customer service. However, the company acknowledged that the Internet can be a powerful advertising tool and encouraged its retailers to make full use of online publicity. Furniture Brands said it will review its Internet policy as needed and won’t rule out changing it. Shares of St. Louis-based Furniture Brands fell 56 cents to close at $23.94 on the NYSE.