CULP INC

Overall, demand for our products generally depends upon consumer demand for furniture and bedding products, which reflects sensitivity to overall economic conditions, including consumer confidence, unemployment rates, and housing market conditions.

The mattress fabrics business and the bedding industry in general are slightly seasonal, with sales being the highest in early spring and late summer, with another peak in mid-winter. In the U.S., customers often purchase mattresses during major U.S. holidays, in conjunction with retail store promotional events. However, these seasonality trends relate more to in-store retail sales. Online sales, which have grown in recent years, are less affected by in-store seasonality trends.

The upholstery fabrics business has some seasonality, which is tied to the timing of holidays in our manufacturing facilities. Our manufacturing facilities in China close during Chinese National Holiday (in October) and the Chinese New Year (which occurs in January or February each year), often causing sales to be higher in advance of these Chinese holiday periods and sometimes lower during or immediately following the same periods.