Bedding barrels ahead
Stores continue to focus on premium sets
By Michael J. Knell -- Furniture Today, January 20, 2002
TORONTO — Premium bedding will continue to be the focus of retail merchandising efforts this year, according to manufacturers exhibiting at this year's Canadian Home Furnishings Market.
Most producers either added to or introduced better- and best-quality bedding here in response to heightened retail demand and increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of a good night's sleep.
"What we're seeing is a further emphasis on quality bedding," said Craig Dunlop, president of Sealy Canada. "Our business grew significantly last year as our average unit price went up 14%."
This prompted Sealy Canada to debut its upscale Stearns & Foster brand at this year's market. The line, which is being made at Sealy's factory here, has been test marketed at The Bay for the past year and is being rolled out to select retailers across the country.
"The response of retailers was nothing short of surprising," Dunlop said. The top-of-the-line model retails in the C$5,000 to C$6,000 range.
Another well-known premium brand making its Canadian debut was Chatham & Wells, the high-end collection produced by Spring Air Canada. "This is ultra premium at its best," said Valerie Stranix, vice president of sales. "We're trying to duplicate the success we've had in the U.S."
She said reaction was excellent but that it will be a few months before the line begins appearing on retail floors. The company will control distribution tightly to maximize retail margins, Stranix said.
In addition to the launch of Stearns & Foster, all product Sealy Canada showed here was new to the line, including Eurotop models in the Crown Jewel collections, and a collection of entry-level goods under the Back Magic label, designed to retail between C$499 and C$799.
"Consumers continue to demand better quality sleep products. They have become aware of the benefits they provide," said Ron Dennis, vice president of sales and marketing for Simmons Canada. "Probably the most popular number this market was our New Generation Back Care collection. It has a strong story with its proprietary zoned construction."
No-turn mattresses continued to be strong, with producers adding to their assortments in this category. Also getting wide play were coil-on-coil mattresses. For example, Simmons Canada added Beautyrest Exceptionale, with a 4-inch pocketed-coil pillowtop over a 7-inch pocketed-coil mattress — a total of 1,400 coils in the queen-size model.
"We've seen double-digit growth over the past two years and 90% of that has been in the segment that retails for over C$1,000," said Jane MacLaren, director of marketing for Toronto-based Marshall Mattress. "A lot of people, especially baby boomers, are now buying their second bed and they're stepping up in quality."
Marshall's focus this market was a new merchandising system which allows dealers to display five configurations of comfort and firmness in only three SKUs, a trend also seen among other producers, notably Spring Air Canada.
Latex bedding also made a comeback this market, with both Sealy Canada and Therapedic Toronto unveiling new lineups in this category.
Michael Dunlop, vice president of sales and marketing for Therapedic Toronto, said the company's new Pure Touch latex program was a big hit with retailers, including those who haven't been flooring the category.
Producers reported that business in the last few weeks of 2001 was excellent and retailers came to market ready to buy.
"We didn't get resistance to price," Spring Air Canada's Stranix said.
"There were no inventory issues, no product issues and no price issues," Sealy Canada's Dunlop said.
Retailers expressed heightened interest in merchandising and display support, and factory executives expect stores to upgrade bedding departments.
Dennis said Simmons Canada will expand its in-store galleries and free-standing specialty stores this year.
"While we may not necessarily set any records this year, I'm confident that 2002 will be a strong year," said Therapedic's Dunlop.
| This new Eurotop model, part of Sealy Canada's Crown Jewel collection, is an example of better-quality bedding, which continues to garner more space on retail floors. |
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