Bedding bounces higher
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, February 5, 2006
Las Vegas — Bedding was even stronger at the second market here than the first, according to bedding majors who said they enjoyed another stellar show.
Retailers saw a broader assortment of heavy hitters than in July, including newcomers Sealy, Therapedic and Kingsdown.
Sealy made a strong showing with the debut of its new Posturepedic line of fire-resistant mattresses, as well as its launch of new specialty sleep models cushioned with visco and latex.
Simmons' dealers were pleased with news the company's popular bowling ball campaign is returning, with a female-friendly makeover.
"The response has been excellent," said Tim Oakhill, senior vice president of marketing. "It was almost a foregone conclusion we would get that kind of reaction, because our dealers asked us to bring the bowling ball back."
Oakhill said Simmons generated "great momentum" at market.
"We have had excellent traffic," he said. "We saw a great variety of dealers, even from the East Coast. And we have had more international traffic."
Serta said its dealers embraced the new Vera Wang mattress line. "Our target customer does recognize the Vera Wang brand," said Serta executive Barbara Bradford.
Spring Air, showing at Mandalay Bay, was thrilled with its traffic, said Jim Nation, president. He said attendance was "very strong" from the West Coast and Texas, was "moderate" from the Midwest, and was lighter from the Northeast and Southeast. He also said that changes in the marketplace helped drive more small and midsized retailers to the Spring Air showroom.
Tempur-Pedic reported that retail attendance was running on par with the strong turnout it enjoyed at its inaugural Vegas showing in July. "We have had a lot of excitement," said Chris Henning, president of Tempur-Pedic Retail.
Larry McKay, president of Comfort Solutions by King Koil, used the word "fabulous" to describe attendance in his company's Grid2-designed showroom.
"We've had major retailers in," he said. "The comments we are receiving are extremely rewarding. Buyers from major sleep shops and furniture stores who have been doing their jobs for many years are giving us good reviews."
This market, Comfort Solutions added two collections for a total of 13.
Therapedic, showing in temporary space at Mandalay Bay, did well. "Our space has been full constantly," said Gerry Borreggine, president. He said retailers responded enthusiastically to Therapedic's new Kathy Ireland Home line.
Kingsdown did well with its private showing at the Venetian. CEO Eric Hinshaw thought retailers might just drop in for a quick bite and move on to their next appointment, but that didn't happen.
"We had a constant flow of retailers all day," Hinshaw said. "They came in for business."
Englander's Bob Ashburn, a member of the bedding group's marketing committee based in Rome, Ga., said traffic "has been excellent. We've had great traffic, even from dealers on the East Coast. And we've seen some good potential dealers."
Englander did well with its new Tension Ease Essentials line, featuring two layers of coils in the mattress, at price points ranging from $1,299 to $1,599.
Also shaping up well was components kingpin Leggett & Platt's show at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It got off to a robust start even before the official opening day on Monday, said Dave Haffner, L&P's president.
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Bedding bounces higher
Feb 19, 2006 -
Bedding bounces higher
Feb 2, 2006
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