Markor Sells, Montana Expands

FurniPulse view: reporting from October 23 to 30 brings opposite moves under the same acquisition headline. Markor has sold; Montana is building out its offer. For the trade, the useful distinction is what each transaction changes: cash available to the seller, continuity at the factory, or access to customers. A purchase price tells buyers little about the last two. These deals deserve separate operating tests, not a single verdict on the health of the furniture industry.

Markor's sale: follow the cash and the factory

Home News Now reports that Jonathan Sowter regained control of Jonathan Charles through the purchase of Markor's 60% stake. The headline value was about $7.4 million. Deductions included $5 million owed to Jonathan Charles by Markor unit Vivet and a $1 million advance; about $925,000 was due at closing, potentially less after a closing-date recount. That distinction matters more than the headline price when assessing the cash benefit to the seller.

The publication cites roughly $720 million in creditor claims across Markor and its parent, not all confirmed. Markor states that operations are normal. The sale includes Markor's shares in M.U.S.T. Holdings, the holding company that owns Vietnam Furniture Resources, the Vietnamese manufacturing operation. The filing describes the factory as the division's only source of product supply. Sowter describes a planned expansion from about 800,000 to 950,000 square feet.

For Jonathan Charles dealers, the practical question is continuity of production and delivery commitments under the new ownership. The proposed expansion remains a plan. For suppliers assessing Markor, treating the headline sale value as cash received would give a misleading picture. That is the practical lesson of the deductions, regardless of whether the larger expansion proceeds.

Montana's purchase: follow the route to the customer

The Danish transaction offers a different reason to pay attention. Big Furniture Group reports that Montana Furniture acquired TAKT, adding solid-wood furniture to its modular, colour-led range. The products will continue as TAKT by Montana and are to be sold through Montana's global retail and contract dealer network. TAKT's showroom is to become part of Montana's Copenhagen showroom; employees will be integrated as far as possible.

The commercial opportunity is specific: put complementary wood furniture in front of buyers already using Montana dealers. The execution questions are equally specific: which products become available in each territory, through which dealer, and on what timetable? The acquisition announcement establishes the intended channel, not the sales it will generate.

There is a parallel in lighting. Business of Home reports that Visual Comfort bought British switch and socket brand Forbes & Lomax for undisclosed terms. It remains a stand-alone brand. Visual Comfort's chief commercial officer says the range is already available in its 70-plus showrooms, extending access beyond Forbes & Lomax's two US showrooms, with dedicated displays planned in the coming months.

For specifiers, the opportunity is to compare switches and finishes in more locations. The distinction between availability now and dedicated displays later matters: a product in the catalogue is not necessarily a product ready to handle in the showroom. That is what we would check before making a sourcing visit.

Upholstery: ownership still has to become operating certainty

In Britain, Big Furniture Group reports that TCM Living's 2025 sales fell to £38 million, with a £26.6 million pre-tax loss. Gross margin improved to 21.4% from 14.9%, so the accounts do not tell a simple story of worsening margins. Glasswells bought Alstons on October 8, following TCM Living's decision to exit the UK market; Alstons continues in Colchester.

For other Alstons buyers, the question is how a retailer owning the manufacturer affects their own supply arrangements. Seek clarity on availability, lead times and continuity of existing relationships. The reported accounts describe the former owner's position; they do not establish the acquisition's terms or its future performance.

Across the Atlantic, SoMo Home executive consultant Matt Harrison gives a more operational account in Home News Now. Southern Motion filed for Chapter 11 after Man Wah bought it and Fusion Furniture in December 2025, the publication reports. Harrison says Man Wah has supplied machinery for foam pouring and laser cutting. He describes lease negotiations and possible alternative premises, alongside a push into special orders and larger-scale motion furniture.

Earlier trade data help frame that domestic proposition. US seating and upholstery imports were $22.6 billion, down 10.1%, in the twelve months to March 2026, according to FurniPulse analysis of U.S. Census International Trade API data. That is historical import context, not evidence of this week's demand or proof that SoMo will gain sales. The next operating test is the announcement about the company's future home that Harrison says he expects soon: machinery investment and product plans still need a settled operating location.

Orders and payments deserve separate checks

Smith Leonard's July figures, reported by Home News Now, show new orders up 9%, shipments up 8% and backlogs up 12% year over year among participating manufacturers and distributors. Separately, the Furniture Manufacturers Credit Association surveyed 30 supplier and factoring credit professionals between August 21 and September 16. Alongside slower payments, 43% reported broken payment promises. FMCA describes this as a pulse rather than a statistically representative survey.

For a supplier, the actionable comparison is inside its own customer ledger: are customers placing more orders while taking longer to pay? The two surveys cannot answer that for an individual account. They cover different samples and reporting periods, and the FMCA sample is small. They do supply a reason to review collections alongside orders instead of assuming that growth in one means improvement in the other.

What to check next

For buyers, the week's ownership stories suggest a short list: confirm delivery commitments at Jonathan Charles; ask Montana dealers about TAKT availability; check whether Forbes & Lomax displays have arrived locally; and watch for SoMo's premises announcement. For suppliers, compare overdue balances and broken payment promises with new orders before interpreting order growth as improved customer health. These are our commercial priorities, not predictions about the companies' outcomes.

The coming show calendar offers opportunities to ask those questions directly: Dubai Design Week runs November 3–8, Downtown Design Dubai November 4–8, and Boutique Design New York November 8–9, according to the FurniPulse trade-show calendar. DESIGNART TOKYO continues through November 8. For buyers travelling to New York for BDNY on November 8, arrange any off-site showroom visits beforehand and ask which products and finishes can actually be seen. Do not assume that a brand acquisition means every location has the new range. Our read: the commercial advantage will go to the supplier that makes the expanded offer easy to specify and order; announcing a larger portfolio is only the first step.

Company context

Markor is a Chinese furniture manufacturer and brand owner. Home News Now describes how it built its North American business by manufacturing for American furniture brands and then acquiring brands. Its early US purchases included Schnadig and A.R.T., companies it had already made furniture for. In this story, Markor is the seller; Jonathan Charles is the furniture brand connected to the Vietnam factory. Markor Group is Markor's controlling owner. Those relationships explain why an ownership transaction also raises practical questions about who controls production and supplies retailers.

Editor's update: added company background and clarified the factory ownership structure.