Sailing With Headwinds: How Foliot Stays the Course in 2026
By Jast Aubin
Weathering the Tariff Storm
The past few weeks have been difficult ones for the North American furniture manufacturing sector. News of facility closures and manufacturer shutdowns has reminded all of us how real the pressure is right now. These are not abstract industry statistics. They represent people, families, and communities. At Foliot, we feel the weight of that.
Early 2026 data shows shipments down 7% year over year, new orders flat, and manufacturers adopting a cautious posture heading into the second quarter. Rising input costs, tariff uncertainty, and labour shortages are compressing margins and testing supply chains already under strain. For procurement teams and housing operators, the question is no longer just about price. It’s about reliability.
Foliot Furniture’s answer is straightforward and unequivocal. Yes.
What’s Happening in the Sector
Cross-border tariff uncertainty is disrupting supply chains that rely on imported components or overseas production. Some manufacturers have been unable to absorb these pressures. Others have reduced capacity, extended lead times, or passed cost increases on to clients without warning. For buyers, the risk is not just higher prices. It is uncertainty about whether an order will arrive on time, whether a quoted price will hold, and whether the supplier will still be operating at the same capacity next year.
Why Vertical Integration Matters Right Now
Foliot manufactures in-house at its facilities in Quebec and Nevada. Design, laminating, casegoods and seating production, quality control, and logistics are all managed under Foliot’s own roof. Because of this vertical integration, the company is insulated from tariff volatility and cost unpredictability. What is quoted is what is delivered. This is not a recent adaptation, but how Foliot has long operated.
Recently, Foliot CEO Philip Giffard and VP of Operations Simon Perreault sat down with LCN’s business program À vos affaires to discuss the company’s approach to the current market, its manufacturing model, and why Foliot is staying strong while others face difficulty. The interview is in French and available to watch on TVA+: Watch the interview.
Thirty-Five Years of Stability
Founded in Saint-Jérôme in 1991, Foliot has navigated recessions, supply shocks, a global pandemic, and now a period of sustained sector-wide pressure, continuing to grow through each of them. Today, the company employs more than 500 people across three facilities and has delivered furniture for over 1.25 million rooms throughout North America and Europe. Over 75% of its business comes from repeat clients, reflecting not just product quality but the reliability of a company that shows up and stands behind what it makes.
What This Means
For clients, Foliot offers something increasingly rare: predictability. Lead times are reliable. Pricing is transparent. After-sales support continues long after delivery, backed by permanent construction records for every item ever manufactured.
For the Foliot team in Saint-Jérôme, Mirabel, and Las Vegas: the company is not contracting, not reducing capacity, and not pausing investment. It is growing. The stability Foliot brings to its clients begins with the stability it maintains for its people.
The manufacturers best positioned to navigate 2026 are those with short supply chains, strong client relationships, and products built to hold their value over time. Foliot Furniture is one of them.