The Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) at Duke University found that the High Point Market contributes 1.3% of the total gross state product (GSP) of North Carolina with $5.4 billion in economic impact to the overall regional economy, over 37,000 jobs and $198 million in North Carolina local and state taxes and fees.
“This analysis focuses on the impact of all the economic activity generated through the Market itself,” stated Lukas Brun, Senior Research Analyst at Duke CGGC, who was the project manager for the High Point Market study. “The logic used was the following: ‘What amount of economic activity would not have occurred ‘but-for’ the Market.’ The report analyzes the economic impact of five distinct categories that can be tied to the bi-annual High Point Market events.”
“We are delighted that this study shows the tremendous economic impact that the High Point Market and the furniture industry have on our local and state economy,” said Doug Bassett, Chairman of the High Point Market Authority and President of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture.“Clearly, the investment we all make in conducting a first-rate Market here in High Point is paying great dividends for all of us,” Bassett concluded.
The study defines the area surveyed as the 30 counties (22 in North Carolina and 8 in Virginia) within a 75- mile radius from downtown High Point. It used the data from an original survey pulled from 199 exhibitors at Market over the period July 3-16, 2013.
The five distinct types of economic activity that were analyzed in the study were as follows:
• Visitor Spending by any visitor from outside the study region (75-mile radius) to Market including and included items such as lodging, meals, retail purchases, gasoline, car rentals, groceries and entertainment.
• Spending by the HPMA, which represents the direct budgeted expenses of the HPMA such as Transit and Ground Passenger Transportation expenses.
• Vendor Spending, or exhibitor spending, which includes all the expenses incurred to put vendor products on display at Market, and includes construction, decoration, photography, marketing and catering.
• Furniture Sales, the largest and most important impact, which accounts for all the sales made at Market, or within 90 days of the Market. The study excluded sales made at Market by firms located outside the study region, including firms that manufacture overseas or elsewhere in the U.S.
• Vendor Rents, which includes rental payments made by vendors to local owners and managers of commercial real-estate in the High Point area.
“Beyond attracting a large number of visitors from outside the state, and the world, the High Point Market serves a critical function for the broader furnishings industry and is a key node in the overall furniture industry’s value chain,” Brun added.
Economic activity associated with the bi-annual Market resulted in 11,000 jobs, in support areas such as food service/catering, lodging, maintenance/repair construction services and transit and ground passenger transportation. An additional 26,000 jobs come from the furniture sales generated at Market that flow to workers within the 30 county area in manufacturing positions such as upholstered household furniture, nonupholstered wood household furniture, showcase/partition/shelving, and mattress production, to name only the top categories.
The fiscal impact of the High Point Market on the State of North Carolina and the 22 affected counties is $197.9 million in tax revenue. Guilford County/City of High Point receives an estimated $25.5 million in tax revenue out of the $197.9 million in total revenue.
The study also provided data on visitor numbers to the High Point Market. 76,000 attendees come to Market bi-annually. 623,000 visitor-days per year are generated by the 58,000 visitors coming to the Market in High Point, biannually, from outside the 75-mile radius.
“The High Point Market is crucial for the health of the local manufacturing and distribution sectors of the wider furniture industry in the state and the region,” stated Thomas P. Conley, President and CEO of the High Point Market Authority. “The Market is a valuable economic asset that provides tangible economic benefits throughout the year and throughout the region.”
