Organizers of next month's Tupelo Furniture Market say representatives from one-third of the nation's Top 100 furniture retailers already have registered for the event.
They're part of a cadre of more than 500 buyers from large U.S. retailers and more than 2,500 from mid-size retailers who have registered, market officials said.
"Major retailers have come to Tupelo for more than 25 years and we are pleased to see they are returning again in February," said Adam Cleveland, the market's chief operating officer.
The market will take place Feb. 6-9, and officials said more than 12,000 already have registered - a figure that is well ahead of the February 2013 market.
"If the trend continues, we will reach 15,000 to 20,000 pre-registrations for this event," said market President Kevin Seddon. "Although not all will attend, we are pleased with these numbers."
He said the numbers include thousands of smaller retailers who also are critical to the success of the market.
"They are the businesses that ultimately drive the industry and we are glad that so many of them have registered for our early February event," said Seddon.
The market's 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space is almost sold out, he added.
