Ashley Furniture Considers Offers

Ashley Furniture Industries Inc. (Arcadia, Wis.) confirmed that it has hired the investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (New York) as it explores various investor and acquisitions options. Currently, the company is family-owned. The furniture company said its inquiries are “very exploratory” for the time being and no definitive decisions have been made.

The Wall Street Journal reports that as the housing market recovers and sees gains, private-equity firms have shown interest in companies such as Ashley, which is the country’s largest maker and retailer of furniture, with more than $3 billion in business.