Conventional mfrs. see more growth
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 21, 2004
HIGH POINT — HIGH POINT— Conventional bedding producers, virtually all of whom offer specialty sleep lines, say that category is expanding.
King Koil President Larry McKay said specialty sleep "is stronger than ever," and noted that many consumers are looking for alternatives to traditional bedding.
Approximately 10% to 12% of King Koil's sales are in specialty sleep, a category that producer only entered 18 months ago, McKay said. "Our Natural Response brand has done exceptionally well," he noted. "We have added programs with retailers around the country." The latex line retails from $1,299 to $3,500.
Specialty sleep represents about 10% of Spring Air's sales, said Jim Nation, president. "It's definitely moving up," he said.
Spring Air's Nature's Rest latex line is doing well and that producer is now shipping its new three-number visco line, Sleep Fitness, to retailers.
Nation said that "exotic foams" are driving the specialty sleep category, one that he said is not a fad. "Conventional innerspring producers who think specialty sleep will die like waterbeds don't understand the specialty sleep category," Nation said.
Restonic, which has done well with its Sensora line of visco-elastic bedding, is now adding airbeds to the specialty sleep mix.
"I don't see any slowdown in specialty sleep," said Donna Favia, Restonic's vice president of marketing services. "I see it getting bigger and better. Advancements in technology will continue to spark the category."
Favia said specialty sleep meets consumers' desires for unique products that offer comfort. "The consumer today is more demanding," she said. "She is looking for something better that will satisfy her needs. These products meet her needs in comfort. These are beds that you sleep in, not on."
"Specialty sleep continues to grow," said Ed Lilly, Serta's president. "It is a reflection of the buying habits of consumers. Consumers with discretionary income are not averse to buying products that are non-traditional."
Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort, the two leaders in specialty sleep, are both brands benefiting from heavy advertising support, Lilly noted. "When you are spending the kinds of money they are spending, you can create a buzz about your products," he said.
Asked if Serta will expand its offerings in specialty sleep, Lilly responded: "Only if we find it meaningful to our distribution network." Serta introduced a visco-elastic sleep set, the Perfect Sleeper Body Pillow, in 2002.
Simmons targeted the popular visco market with its new Sang model. That visco product was designed to provide superior performance compared to other visco beds on the market, according to Simmons officials.
Simmons has also been addressing the specialty sleep market with airbeds and waterbeds produced under a licensing arrangement with Halcyon, a Canadian company. That company has now ceased production and Simmons is re-evaluating that program, said Don Hofmann, vice president of new business development for Simmons. But he said those Simmons-licensed specialty sleep products remain in the retail pipeline.
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