Top bedding sources set plans for ‘06
Several things set for this year
David Perry -- Furniture Today, January 5, 2006
HIGH POINT -- Sealy will rolling out a new flagship Posturepedic line. Simmons is launching a new BackCare line -- and a new national advertising campaign that it promises will “drop the ball” on anything it’s done before. And Serta will be touting its 75th anniversary with a variety of promotions.
Those are some of the new products and promotions that bedding’s big hitters will be rolling out to spark strong sales in the new year. While the industry collectively sees 2006 as offering only modest unit gains — the
Furniture/Today Consensus Bedding Forecast
envisions a 0.2% unit gain, with dollars growing by 7.4% — bedding’s top producers are invariably optimistic about their own prospects for the new year. Furniture|Today recently surveyed more than a dozen bedding leaders to get their thoughts on what their companies will be doing to drive business in 2006. Here’s a look at what senior bedding execs are planning:
Dave McIlquham
CEO of Sealy
“Sealy will be focused on launching entirely new product lines through much of 2006. The new lines we introduced in October — Stearns & Foster and Sealy Posturepedic SpringFree (latex) — have just begun to reach retail floors. The rollout of these lines will continue through the first quarter, and will be followed by new product launches for our other lines through 2006, beginning with Sealy Posturepedic innerspring at the January Las Vegas Market.”
Jim Nation
President of Spring Air
“I see a lot of positive opportunities for Spring Air in the marketplace. The way some companies have handled the price increases has given Spring Air the opportunity to gain share. I think we did not have as big a negative experience with the availability of foam as some companies, which positioned us better with some key retailers. I think our ability to execute was better than our competitors. We have turned this into a positive for Spring Air.”
Tim Oakhill
Senior vice president of marketing of Simmons
“We are optimistic about sales growth for a couple of reasons. The new lines we’re rolling out nationwide in January will be FR compliant, and all of our lines are expected to be fully compliant by the end of 2006. Also, we are reinforcing the five-zone design that BackCare pioneered by introducing a new BackCare line and simplifying the step-up story. And we’re also very excited about unveiling a new national advertising campaign in January that, let’s just say, will drop the ball on anything we’ve done before.”
Bob Sherman
President of Serta International
“It is our 75th anniversary, which we will be promoting. We will also continue to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness program, and will have promotions around that. We are optimistic about 2006.”
Chris Henning
President of the retail division at Tempur-Pedic
“As the leader in the specialty category, we will continue to bring new and innovative products to market in 2006. We will support our retailers through national and local advertising efforts to further strengthen the Tempur-Pedic brand and drive incremental business into their stores.”
Eric Hinshaw
CEO of Kingsdown
“We are tuning our advertising, particularly our in-store promotions, to do more DormoDiagnostics profiles. We will be encouraging more shoppers, wheth-er they are in the market or not, to do those profiles. If consumers are in the market, they are more likely to buy an upper-end bed. Retailers will need those dollars, because unit growth will be tough, if it exists at all. We do have the ability to get customers who are not in the market for bedding.”
Larry McKay
President of Comfort Solutions by King Koil
“We will continue to utilize our fantastic retail showroom in Las Vegas to demonstrate the superior products and superior marketing of Comfort Solutions. Consumers can feel the superior comfort and see the value in our products.”
Gerry Borreggine
President of Therapedic
“We will continue to be a partner to our retail teammates. We will look to mine new partnerships with others, who see our program as providing them with the value alternative they are seeking.”
Terry Spears
Chairman of Englander
“The Englander group will continue to focus on its relationships with key independent furniture retailers and sleep shops. By building programs around our exclusive products, we can continue to differentiate Englander in the marketplace. This in turn will allow our retailer partners to earn better margins on the one product line, bedding, left in their stores that is not deflationary.”
Carlene Evenson Peterson
President of Restonic
“We will continue to outpace the industry. We see solid double-digit gains for Restonic. We are opening new accounts. We are having great success in many markets in opening new accounts. We are also continuing to develop in the alternative sleep area, in visco, air and latex.”
David Orders
Vice president of Park Place
“Park Place will do three things to drive business in 2006. First, we will emphasize specialty sleep products. Our history of innovative products like Comfortaire has stood us in good stead in this regard. Second, we will raise the bar on service. As competitors increasingly take similar directions with products the service side of the business will be a differentiating factor. Third, we will take some risks! I cannot comment specifically on what these might be but would simply say that we believe the greatest risk in business today is doing nothing.”
Neil Ellman
President of International Bedding Corp.
“We will continue on our plan. Knock on wood — it’s working. We will stay the course.”
Kerry Tramel
President of Lady Americana
“Lady Americana forges into 2006 with the most excitement that we have ever enjoyed through our Casa Cristina program. The appeal to not only retailers but especially to the all-important Hispanic market has far exceeded our highest hopes, and they were very high to begin with!”
Ed Scott
CEO of Stylution USA
“Our drive for 2006 will be focused on continuing to communicate the quality, distribution and value advantages that high-quality imported mattresses offer to retailers.”
Daryl Tarbutton
President of Bemco
Bemco will continue to emphasize its Dream Sales brochure for retail sales associates. That program has been boosted by the addition of a consumer brochure touting unique features and benefits of Bemco’s sleep products. The company also has custom newspaper ad kits promoting its Memoryrest visco line, and family-oriented bedding events.
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Top bedding sources set plans for '06
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