Mattress protection firm GBS Enterprises adds to arsenal
Allergy Sentry system eliminates allergen transfer
David Perry -- Furniture Today, May 11, 2009
"Eliminate the enemy" is the new rallying cry at GBS Enterprises, a mattress and pillow protection provider based here.  Leslie Fulmer, director of training for GBS Enterprises, holds the new Allergy Sentry product. |
SUTTON, Neb. — The enemy: Allergens that can rob consumers of the healthful sleep they need to function at their best. Vanquishing that enemy is the goal of the company's new Allergy Sentry, a full encasement system. The waterproof allergy encasement, which features a bedbug and dust mite-resistant zipper design, "virtually eliminates the transfer of allergens," company officials said.
The system retails from $99 to $129 in queen and expands the company's line of protection products. It comes with a new display unit.
GBS Enterprises, which markets its products under the Protect-All brand, says the new system can help retailers add value to the mattress purchase and boost their sales tickets.
"This is a value-added sale," said Dave Powers, an industry veteran who has been president of GBS since 2006. "Retailers are fighting for any revenue they can get. Retail sales associates can increase their income by selling mattress protection products."
GBS Enterprises, which starts its mattress protection line at $80, is positioning the Allergy Sentry System as a step-up product with additional features and benefits for consumers.
Powers said the system "is a must-have for allergy sufferers," a growing group of consumers. The Allergy Sentry System prevents allergens from getting into or out of the mattress, he said. And it does so without affecting the comfort or feel of the mattress, he added.
Dust mite allergies can range from mild to severe, Powers said. A study funded by GBS Enterprises last year found that a mattress protected with an allergy encasement system reduced dust mite allergens by 99.9%, he said.
Powers said that consumers who use allergen-proof mattress and pillow protection products and launder their bed linens weekly "can significantly reduce the levels of dust-mite allergens" in their bedrooms.
He said savvy retail sales associates sell mattress protection products on the health benefits that they provide. Those products can also be sold as providing an affordable way for consumers to protect their investment in a new mattress, he added.
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