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Art Van Furniture opening first sleep shop

More will follow, according to retailer

David Perry -- Furniture Today, April 6, 2009

WARREN, Mich. — Michigan retail powerhouse Art Van Furniture is opening its first freestanding bedding store in June, with more stores to follow.

The first store, almost 5,000 square feet, will open in Canton, Mich. It will carry an assortment that includes King Koil, Sealy, Sleep to Live (Kingsdown's new bedding line), Tempur-Pedic and Simmons, company officials said.

"We are selling much more than just bedding at these new stores," said Gary Van Elslander, president of Art Van. "Our goal is to educate our consumers on the importance of great sleep and that the quality of a person's sleep is directly linked to the overall quality of their life. We were amazed by what we learned through our research, and we are very excited to share that knowledge with the Michigan communities we have served for 50 years."

A name for the new sleep shops will be announced shortly, company officials said. They said they have identified growth opportunities for the stores in Michigan's Ingham, Wayne, Oakland, Kent and Livingston counties.

In addition to carrying mattresses, the store will carry complementing items and services, including pillows, natural sleep aids, aromatherapy products, mattress pads and related goods.

If customers need other home furnishings, the store can help them make additional purchases of an interactive online kiosk that features the breadth of Art Van Furniture's line, the company said.

The Art Van bedding stores will feature the Sleep to Live diagnostic bed and computer system, which uses data gathered from millions of body profiles to help consumers determine the right sleeping surface for their body type, the company said. Consumers receiving a profile are more confident with their bedding selection, officials said.

The new sleep shops will benefit from Art Van's strong brand identity in the better sleep business, the company said.

Art Van is one of the top sellers of mattresses among furniture stores, according to Furniture/Today retail research. The retailer operates 30 stores in 29 Michigan cities.

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