Chinese beds attract interest
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, August 22, 2005
Las Vegas — Chinese-made mattresses were well received by bedding buyers shopping the market here last month.
The beds, shown by Chinese-based companies as well as by some of the biggest names in the U.S. bedding marketplace, helped fuel a Vegas bedding market that attracted nearly all of the industry's biggest producers.
One of the most ambitious entries into the fledgling Asian bed category is Stylution USA, the U.S. arm of a China-based home furnishings corporation. Ed Scott, CEO of Stylution USA, offered this assessment of the Vegas market: "We had commitments from several key people. We were excited about how we did. The feedback from retailers is that the quality and tailoring are excellent and the values are compelling."
While China's recent currency revaluation has increased the company's internal costs, thereby reducing margins, Stylution USA is not passing those increased costs on to its dealers, Scott said.
He noted a 60-day financing program his company arranged with General Electric was popular with retailers.
Bedding major Spring Air added a fourth bed to its Sleep Fitness line. Produced in China, the visco bed, with zoned construction and pinholes in the visco for maximum temperature control, offers superior pressure-relief compared to other major visco offerings, said Spring Air President Jim Nation.
He said retailers liked the feel of the bed. "This gives Spring Air and its retailers great flexibility in how they operate their programs," Nation said.
Restonic did well here with three Chinese-made beds, said President Kevin Toman.
"Retailers liked the beds," which will retail at $1,299, $1,599 and $1,799, he said.
Toman said Restonic "is still evaluating" the Chinese beds. "We need to continue to be global and we can't afford to put our heads in the sand," he said.
Classic Sleep Products added a second Chinese-made visco bed to its line, this one at $1,299 retail, but President Mike Zippelli said the company is putting less emphasis on beds from China in favor of its U.S. production. "We are going the other way," he said.
Excel Bedding, one of the first U.S.-based bedding producers to bring in Chinese mattresses, showed two visco beds in Las Vegas, and was pleased by the strength of the market.
"This was certainly a bedding show," said Excel Vice President Ira Leibowitz. "You had everyone here, from Top 5 retailers to moms and pops." Reaction to the new visco beds was "fantastic," he said.
