High-end sales growing nicely
David Perry -- Furniture Today, September 8, 2003
There's no doubt that high-end bedding lines are doing well in the marketplace. Leading bedding retailers say they are selling a growing number of beds at $1,000 and up. Bedding producers are stepping up their marketing efforts in that arena, rolling out an increasingly broad array of better beds.
Thus it's a natural for us to devote several pages of this special section to high-end bedding. We do so with a three-pronged examination of the segment, an approach you won't see elsewhere.
It's normal to look at bedding from the manufacturers' and retailers' points of view. As we know, each of those parties has its own perspective, but together they form the basic partnership with which we address consumers.
We're covering both of those bases in this special report. A leading retailer's insights on how to succeed at the high end come from Sit 'n Sleep, a California bedding specialist we visited earlier this year. That retailer floors an impressive number of high-end beds and, not surprisingly, sells quite a few.
A high-end producer's view comes from Shifman Mattress Co., which still makes beds the old-fashioned way, by hand. The ghosts of founders Abraham and Samuel Shifman seemed to be walking right next to us as Mike Hammer, the company's president, took us through the plant. Those first Shifman brothers would be pleased to see the company still stresses excellence today. The beds are literally loaded with quality.
Also on the producers' side of the slate, we highlight high-end bedding from the industry's four largest producers.
The third level of insight comes from retail sales associates, a key segment whose voice is rarely heard in the trade press. We share several secrets of success from some of the top bedding salespeople in the country.
This is the second time we've included them in our reporting this year, and we will do so again in the future. These folks obviously have something important to say.
Together, the three legs of our stool — producers, retailers and sales associates — give you a complete look at the challenges and opportunities of selling high-end bedding.
As usual in our supplements, we also look at a few other issues.
On the mattress flammability front, we continue our tour of some leading suppliers of fire-resistant materials. We visit Freudenberg Nonwovens, a worldwide power in the nonwovens market and a company with some expertise already in the flammability arena. This producer has big plans and considerable resources, usually a winning combination.
We also take a look at the new Web site of Elk Technologies, another supplier of FR materials worth watching.
Finally, we look at another "hot" issue: Chinese bedding. Everyone has an opinion on whether Chinese-made mattresses could be a threat to U.S. producers. We report from the source: Excel Bedding, which is now bringing Chinese bedding into the U.S. market.
And, for the first time, we've got some pictures of the beds Excel is importing. Take a look and form your own conclusions.
There's never a dull moment on the mattress beat.
