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US furniture retailers are seeing a slowdown in sales as Americans who are already struggling to afford homes in today’s market aren’t shelling out for a new dining table or couch.

Last week, high-end furniture retailer RH reported $800 million in revenue in the three months ended July 29 — a 19% drop from last year’s period, when revenues hit $992 million.

The company attributed the dip to the stalling housing market, where mortgage rates are sitting at the highest level since 2001, forcing many homeowners in major US cities to sell at a loss.

“We continue to expect the luxury housing market and broader economy to remain challenging throughout fiscal 2023 and into next year as mortgage rates continue to trend at 20-year highs,” the company said in its earnings report.

Williams-Sonoma, the San Francisco-based firm behind pricey interior stores Pottery Barn and West Elm, posted its second-quarter earnings late last month, which showed year-over-year decreases across the board.

Aside from net revenues falling 13% from last year, to $1.86 billion, Williams-Sonoma’s profits also fell to $757.56 million — down from $928.81 million in 2022 — while operating income, comparable brand revenue and merchandise inventories also decreased.

In addition, Williams-Sonoma reported a 20% revenue decline for West Elm, and a 10% dip in sales for Pottery Barn.

Virginia-based luxury furniture retailer Hooker Furnishings also reported losses for the quarter, when revenue slid to $97.8 million — down 36% from $152.91 million a year ago.

Net incomes at the manufacturer — which sells its home goods at Wayfair and Macy’s — also took a massive hit year over year, from $5.54 million to a dismal $785,000.

Hooker’s chief executive Jeremy Hoff also attributed the company’s losses to mortgage rates, which have “slowed down housing activity.”

“The continued rise in interest rates has suppressed customer — consumer confidence,” Hoff added during an earnings call with investors following the company’s earnings report.

Perhaps also because of sky-high benchmark 30-year home loans — which climbed to 7.23% from 7.09% last month, per mortgage buyer Freddie Mac — investors also appear insecure about the future of the furniture industry, as shares of RH fell nearly 18%, to $313.23, in the past five days — since the company reported its second-quarter earnings.

A year ago, the average 30-year home loan rate was 5.55%.

Hooker Furnishing’s share price, meanwhile, fell nearly 9%, to $19.16, while Williams-Sonoma’s stock slipped less than 1%, to $142.52, in the same five-day period

Representatives for RH, Williams-Sonoma and Hooker Furnishings did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

The shift in consumer spending on furniture makes sense, as home buyers face an ongoing affordability crisis and consumer spending is expected to shrink in early 2024 the first quarterly decline since the start of the pandemic, according to Bloomberg’s latest Markets Live Plussurvey.

More than half of 526 respondents, or 56%, believe that personal consumption in the US will turn negative in the new year, while another 21% said the reversal will happen even sooner, in the final quarter of 2023, Bloomberg found.

The outlet blamed the pessimism on high borrowing costs affecting household budgets and COVID-era savings drying out.

Thus, the “nepo baby” discussion has found its way from social media into the real estate market, where recent findings from the brokerage Redfin reveal that a significant portion of young homebuyers used family money to afford a down payment for a home. 

According to Redfins survey of more than 500 buyers under 30 years old, 38% had financial assistance from relatives for their down payment. 

The situation is significantly a result of the current crisis of housing unaffordability, especially as inflation keeps its grip tight on the American economy.

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Prince Harry cleared of bullying claims by report into ‘damaging dispute’ at his charity

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Prince Harry cleared of bullying claims by report into 'damaging dispute' at his charity

The Charity Commission has found no evidence of bullying or harassment at a charity set up by Prince Harry.

But it has found that an internal dispute at Sentebale “severely impacted the charity’s reputation”.

Earlier this year its chair, Dr Sophie Chandauka, accused the Duke of Sussex of “harassment and bullying at scale”.

Her comments followed the departure of the prince and several others from the organisation in March.

They had asked her to step down, alleging it was in the “best interest of the charity”.

Dr Chandauka told Sky News that Harry had “authorised the release of a damaging piece of news to the outside world” without informing her or Sentebale directors.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex declined to offer any formal response.

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Why was Prince Harry accused of ‘bullying’?

‘Strong perception of ill-treatment’

The Charity Commission said it was reporting after a “damaging internal dispute emerged” and has “criticised all parties to the dispute for allowing it to play out publicly”.

That “severely impacted the charity’s reputation and risked undermining public trust in charities more generally”, it said.

But it found no evidence of “widespread or systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity”.

Nevertheless, it did acknowledge the “strong perception of ill-treatment felt by a number of parties to the dispute and the impact this may have had on them personally”.

It also found no evidence of “‘over-reach’ by either the chair or the Duke of Sussex as patron”.

‘Confusion exacerbated tensions’

But it was critical of the charity’s “lack of clarity in delegations to the chair which allowed for misunderstandings to occur”.

And it has “identified a lack of clarity around role descriptions and internal policies as the primary cause for weaknesses in the charity’s management”.

That “confusion exacerbated tensions, which culminated in a dispute and multiple resignations of trustees and both founding patrons”.

Read more:
Clintons subpoenaed in Epstein probe
First man to be executed with defibrillator fitted

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Why was Prince Harry accused of ‘bullying’?

Harry: Report falls troublingly short

A spokesperson for Prince Harry said it was “unsurprising” that the commission had announced “no findings of wrongdoing in relation to Sentebale’s co-founder and former patron, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex”.

They added: “Despite all that, their report falls troublingly short in many regards, primarily the fact that the consequences of the current chair’s actions will not be borne by her, but by the children who rely on Sentebale’s support.”

They said the prince will “now focus on finding new ways to continue supporting the children of Lesotho and Botswana”.

Dr Chandauka said: “I appreciate the Charity Commission for its conclusions which confirm the governance concerns I raised privately in February 2025.”

But she added: “The unexpected adverse media campaign that was launched by those who resigned on 24 March 2025 has caused incalculable damage and offers a glimpse of the unacceptable behaviours displayed in private.”

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Environment

Georgia launches free rooftop solar and EPA now wants to steal its grant money

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Georgia launches free rooftop solar and EPA now wants to steal its grant money

Georgia BRIGHT, a statewide initiative to deliver affordable solar, kicked off its “No-Cost Solar Plan” in Atlanta yesterday, giving qualified homeowners a shot at roughly 400 fully prepaid rooftop-solar systems with zero upfront or maintenance costs. However, Georgia Bright’s No-Cost Solar Plan may lose its $156 million in grant money if the EPA steals back the Solar for All program’s entire $7 billion, which funded it.

On Earth Day (April 22) 2024, the Georgia BRIGHT Communities Coalition, including lead applicant Capital Good Fund, along with coalition member cities, Atlanta, Savannah, and Decatur, and dozens of other Georgia stakeholders, was allocated $156 million from Solar for All to bring solar to thousands of households statewide between now and mid-2029.

Families that earn 80% or less of their county’s Area Median Income can enter a drawing for the No-Cost Solar Plan now; a second drawing for another 400 systems is set for spring 2026.

“As the cost of living increases across our most vulnerable communities, this program will deliver significant savings to the households that need it most,” said Alicia Brown, director of Georgia BRIGHT.

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Those savings are already showing up. Pilot participant Christine Difeliciantonio saw her power bill plunge on her Columbus home from $224 in June 2024 to $50 in June 2025 after her panels came online, and she says the added resilience eases her mind during storms.

Nonprofits are benefiting, too. Trees Atlanta had 140 panels installed on their headquarters last November in the pilot program; the rooftop array went live in March and is on track to save about $3,000 a year, the carbon equivalent of planting 28,000 trees over 25 years.

What’s next for Georgia BRIGHT …

Georgia BRIGHT’s other programs in the works include its Residential Solar Savings Plan, offering custom rooftop installs with no upfront cost and guaranteeing households at least 20% savings on day one after factoring in the modest monthly payments. Georgia BRIGHT is also developing Community Benefit Solar, which lets businesses, houses of worship, and apartment buildings go solar so long as they share part of the financial benefits – think grocery gift cards, help with utility bills, discounted daycare, or rent relief – with eligible neighbors for five years. Finally, a Utility-Led Community Solar initiative will send grants to local utilities so they can run shared-solar programs designed specifically for low-income customers.

These programs really make a difference in a state like Georgia, which doesn’t offer any other solar incentives.

… if the EPA doesn’t steal its money

The New York Times reported today that the Trump-led EPA is drafting letters to claw back the entire $7 billion Solar for All pot from 49 states, plus 11 nonprofit groups and Native American tribes. The grant money was awarded under President Biden’s 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. According to the Times‘ sources, the EPA plans to send termination notices this week, effectively erasing solar savings for nearly a million low-income families before the panels ever land on their roofs.

Legal groups are already gearing up for the fight. “If leaders in the Trump administration move forward with this unlawful attempt to strip critical funding from communities across the United States, we will see them in court,” Kym Meyer of the Southern Environmental Law Center told the Times.

If the EPA pulls the trigger on this cruel, senseless plan to steal solar from lower-income communities, it wouldn’t just kneecap Georgia’s new program – it would pull the rug out from under low-income solar projects nationwide. The fight over Solar for All is officially on. How about that energy emergency that Trump declared, eh?

Read more: This metro Atlanta factory roof is now a solar record-breaker


The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them. 

Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.

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Technology

Opendoor tanks after earnings as CEO thanks new investors for ‘increased visibility’

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Opendoor tanks after earnings as CEO thanks new investors for 'increased visibility'

Courtesy: Opendoor

With Opendoor shares up almost fivefold since the beginning of July and trading volumes hitting record levels, CEO Carrie Wheeler thanked investors for their “enthusiasm” on Tuesday’s earnings call.

“I want to acknowledge the great deal of interest in Opendoor lately and that we’re grateful for it,” Wheeler said, even as the stock sank more than 20% after hours. “We appreciate your enthusiasm for what we’re building, and we’re listening intently to your feedback.”

Prior to its recent surge, Opendoor’s stock had been mostly abandoned, falling as low as 51 cents in late June. The situation was so dire that the company was considering a reverse split that could lift the price of each share by as much 50 times as a potential way to keep its Nasdaq listing. Opendoor said last week that it’s back in compliance and canceled the reverse split proposal.

Opendoor’s business is centered around using technology to buy and sell homes, pocketing the gains. The company was founded in 2014 and went public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) during the Covid-era boom of late 2020. But when interest rates began climbing in 2022, higher borrowing costs reduced demand for homes.

Revenue sank by about two-thirds from $15.6 billion in 2022 to $5.2 billion last year.

Much of the stock’s bounce in the past six weeks was spurred by hedge fund manager Eric Jackson, who announced in July that his firm had taken a position in Opendoor. Jackson said he believes Opendoor’s stock could eventually get to $82. It closed on Tuesday at $2.52, before dropping below $2 in extended trading.

Jackson’s bet is that a return to revenue growth and increased market share will lead to profitability, and that investors will start ascribing a reasonable sales multiple to the business.

The turnaround isn’t yet showing much evidence of working. For the second quarter, Opendoor reported a revenue increase of about 4% to $1.57 billion. Its net loss narrowed to $29 million, or 4 cents a share, from $92 million, or 13 cents, a year earlier.

In the current quarter, Opendoor is projecting just $800 million to $875 million in revenue, which would represent a decline of at least 36% from a year earlier. Opendoor said it expects to acquire just 1,200 homes in the the third quarter, down from 1,757 in the second quarter and 3,504 in the third quarter of 2024. It’s also pulling down marketing spending.

“The housing market has further deteriorated over the course of the last quarter,” finance chief Selim Freiha said on Tuesday’s earnings call. “Persistently high mortgage rates continue to suppress buyer demand, leading to lower clearance and record new listings.”

Wheeler highlighted Opendoor’s effort to expand its business beyond so-called iBuying and into more of a referrals business that’s less capital intensive. She called it “the most important strategic shift in our history.”

Investors, who have been bidding up the stock in waves, were less than enthused with what they heard. But at least there are finally people listening.

“This increased visibility is an opportunity to tell our story to a broader audience,” Wheeler said. “We intend to make the most of it.”

WATCH: Fed locked into September rate cut

The Fed is locked into a September rate cut amid the weak jobs report, says One Point BFG's Boockvar

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