The slump in office furniture sales may have bottomed out in the US, according to a survey by Dunlap & Associates.

"More than 42 percent reported they are optimistic about the future. It was only 25 percent in April," said Michael Dunlap. “The continued increases in shipment, orders, and others factors during the third quarter suggest that we have passed into a new stage of recovery. There may be some ‘bumps’ ahead in the road, because this recovery is going very slowly.”

The last outlook issued in August from the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s Association (BIFMA) expects the industry to finish 2009 with a 31.0 percent decline in North American shipments to $7.7 billion, with a 1 percent shipment decline predicted for 2010.