2012 Furniture Retailers

Compare some of the best furniture retailers using our ratings comparison of New Zealand shopper satisfaction.

See our Ratings Methodology.

2012 Award for Furniture retailers

Most Satisfied Customers | Smiths City

When we compared furniture store brands in our results, Smiths City proved to be a bit of a local favourite for New Zealand customers.

Some assembly required: Flat pack furniture stumps one third of New Zealanders

One third of New Zealand shoppers found themselves on ‘Struggle Street’ when they purchased and attempted to put together flat pack furniture, according to the results of our recent survey.

A substantial percentage of Generation X Kiwis (38%) got themselves into a bind when they couldn’t assemble newly bought flat pack furniture, while only 30% of Gen Y’s experienced the same hardship.

As for how much shoppers were willing to spend on, nine out of ten New Zealanders declared they didn’t mind spending a bit extra on furniture purchases to ensure they found a quality product that would stand the test of time.

We also found nearly two thirds of New Zealanders were perfectly happy to purchase second-hand furniture, and had done so in the past.

When we compared furniture store brands in our results, Smiths City proved to be a bit of a local favourite for New Zealand customers. They received our most satisfied customers award for furniture retailers ahead of The Warehouse, Big Save, Target Furniture, Harvey Norman, Freedom and Furniture City.

Other high achievers for this category included The Warehouse with a five star rating for their value for money; and Freedom for their five star range of products, store appearance and catalogue.

Smiths City was the cream of the crop though; receiving five stars for overall customer satisfaction, customer service and their range of products.

Overall customer satisfaction

Smiths City received five stars for overall customer satisfaction, ahead of four star recipients The Warehouse and Big Save. Target Furniture, Harvey Norman, Freedom and Furniture City all received three stars for this criterion.

Value for money

The price of furniture can quickly become important when big renovation projects begin and costs start to climb. The Warehouse received five stars for their value for money; ahead of Smiths City, Big Save and Target Furniture with four stars. Harvey Norman, Freedom and Furniture received three stars each for this criterion.

Service (i.e. pre-sale, point of sale and post-sale)

Customer service was a clear priority for Smiths City, who received five stars for this criterion. They were followed by Big Save with four stars, then by The Warehouse, Target Furniture, Harvey Norman, Freedom and Furniture City.

Range of products on offer

Customers of Smiths City and Freedom were most satisfied with the range of furniture products available to them, earning each brand a five star rating. Big Save, Target Furniture and Harvey Norman received four stars for this criterion, followed by Furniture City and The Warehouse with three.

Appearance of store

Wandering around furniture stores can be a great starting point to help inspire home renovation ideas. Freedom received five stars for the appearance of their stores, followed by Smiths City and Harvey Norman with four. The Warehouse, Big Save, Target Furniture and Furniture City each received three stars for this criterion.

Printed and online catalogue

Flipping through a well-designed catalogue can be a stepping stone to a nicer living room. Freedom achieved a five star rating for their printed and online catalogue, ahead of four star recipients The Warehouse and Harvey Norman. Smiths City, Big Save, Target Furniture and Furniture City all received three stars for this criterion.