Bedfellows make strange politics
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, January 30, 2005
It is said that politics makes strange bedfellows. However, based on the member exodus taking place at the International Sleep Products Assn., it seems like bedfellows are making for some pretty strange politics.
I'm talking about the latest flammability issue — but not about California's new mattress flammability law that just went on the books. Instead, I'm wondering why ISPA's membership roster seems to be going up in flames.
If you've been keeping up with Dave Perry's reporting (and the way that guy is on top of the bedding beat, who doesn't?) you know that Leggett & Platt and Sealy are the latest companies to leave ISPA. That, my friend, coming on the heels of Serta's decision to leave, is huge. I bet I'm not the only one wondering if other ISPA members are going to follow suit.
In Serta's case, the company said it had decided to leave the group because ISPA had not helped Serta accomplish its primary objective of helping its retail partners grow their business. Sealy and L&P, meanwhile, concluded the cost of membership exceeded the value their companies received from affiliation with the group.
I believe there's a guaranteed formula for failure, regardless of the business one is in: When the cost exceeds the value received, it becomes a lose/lose situation.
What troubles me most is ISPA's response. In a letter the group's executive committee recently sent to members (after Sealy and Serta announced their departures, but before Leggett), ISPA said it was disappointed, but expressed hope the two bedding majors would rejoin the group sometime in the future.
"We wanted to give you assurances that ISPA is financially solvent and will continue to move ahead in its ongoing efforts to effectively represent the needs of the mattress industry," the letter said.
I guess it's tough to smell smoke in your own backyard. Particularly if you're not paying attention to which way the wind is blowing.
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Bedfellows make strange politics
Jan 30, 2005
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