Sealy flips to one-sided
Flagship Posturepedic line, some Stearns to switch
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, February 2, 2003
Trinity, N.C. — Bedding major Sealy, ending its long holdout against one-sided mattresses, said last week its flagship Posturepedic line will switch to a one-sided design.
The new line will be introduced at the April High Point market and will be rolled out to retailers this summer.
Sealy officials say the new Posturepedic will incorporate new technology and will be demonstrably superior to other bedding products.
In addition, Sealy's high-end Stearns & Foster line will include some single-sided models in its introductions this fall, using technology unique to that producer. A decision on how much of the Stearns line will ultimately be single-sided has yet to be made, the company said.
Also not yet decided is whether single-sided designs will be used for non-Posturepedic Sealy lines, and for other lines in the company's portfolio such as Bassett Bedding.
For now, the focus is on the new Posturepedic. Sealy's president and chief executive officer, Dave McIlquham, said market research led to the decision to introduce a single-sided line.
"During the past year, we conducted extensive consumer research and conducted mystery shopping trips in numerous markets nationwide," he said. "We learned there were specific comfort, support and feel preferences that could be achieved with new technology being developed and a modified design. The new Posturepedic line will deliver superior product performance and enhanced durability for consumers, and superior sales and profits for retailers."
While the new Posturepedic line will be Sealy's first branded offering with a one-sided design, the company has made private-label single-sided beds for a few years.
Mark Hobson, Sealy vice president of marketing, said the "significant new technology" will enable the new Posturepedic line to deliver "superior, preferred consumer characteristics, while retaining Posturepedic's heritage of outstanding comfort, support and durability."
Sealy will apply for patents for the new line. "This is truly new technology and construction techniques," he said. The new line will use Posturepedic's current innerspring coil.
Single-sided mattresses have gained significant market share since they were first introduced on a national scale by Simmons in April 2000. Simmons has had notable success with single-sided product in both of its major lines, Beautyrest and BackCare.
Spring Air was quick to jump on the single-sided bandwagon, and credits that construction, in part, with fueling its strong growth in the past two years. Other majors, including Serta, also have enjoyed some success with single-sided beds.
Sealy has been the major holdout, although the company maintains it still has gained market share while its competitors brought out single-sided lines.
The company's research included executive-level interviews conducted by Bain & Co., a Boston-based consulting firm. Executives with that firm established Bain Capital, Sealy's principal owner, in 1981, but Bain & Co. is not affiliated with Bain Capital, Sealy officials said.
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