When City Furniture announced its rebrand to City Home earlier this week, industry insiders took it as the latest sign that furniture retailers see the need to expand beyond their core product offerings to reflect the marketplace.

“Our customers are looking for more than furniture,” said Andrew Koenig, CEO of the Florida chain, in a statement. “They want an easier, more inspiring way to create a home. That’s why we’ve brought together more of the categories and services customers need, from the kitchen to the closet to the living room, under one roof.”

The move takes the company beyond the purview of traditional furniture chains, into the realm of competitor brands such as Nebraska Furniture Mart, Ashley and Wayfair. City Home’s new strategy—informed by market research indicating that home consumers shop around at various retailers before making a purchase—has been in the works for some time and comes as the furniture sector continues to struggle.

“The launch reflects a broader shift in home retail toward more integrated, end-to-end solutions that simplify the customer experience,” the company, which was started by Koenig’s father and uncle, said in the statement. “Today, homeowners are often required to piece together their spaces across multiple retailers, vendors, delivery timelines and service providers.”

The retailer, which started as a small Fort Lauderdale store under the Waterbed City name in 1971 before rebranding in 1994 to City Furniture, plans to add a number of new categories, including appliances, closets, home electronics, bath, fitness, kitchens and a connected home tech assortment. It will also offer an expanded selection of services, such as interior design, custom cabinetry, tech product installation, and dedicated trade services for builders and designers.

The City Home nameplate will make its debut at two of the company’s more than 25 locations—Plant City and Clearwater—with a full rollout to additional stores throughout 2026 and into 2027. According to the company’s statement, “Beginning immediately, customers will start to see the new City Home logo icon across the brand, along with bold bright red trucks on the road that bring the new identity to life.”

City’s move seems to represent the next evolution of the regional furniture dealer model, which has been the defining the industry’s retail format for decades. But with the emergence of brands like Ikea and Wayfair, which offer full-home product assortments, more conventional furniture stores are rethinking their approach. E-commerce has also played a role in the process, giving consumers another way to shop across departmentalized merchandise categories.

City calls its new format “a seamless path to a complete home.” For retailers, it’s also a path to a better business model.

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Warren Shoulberg is the former editor in chief for several leading B2B publications. He has been a guest lecturer at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business; received honors from the International Furnishings and Design Association and the Fashion Institute of Technology; and been cited by The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and other media as a leading industry expert. His Retail Watch columns offer deep industry insights on major markets and product categories.