Louisville debuts FR pad
Protect-A-Bed to distribute FireDefender
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, February 11, 2007
Louisville, Ky. — Louisville Bedding has invented a fire-resistant mattress pad and boxspring cover set that it says offers a cost-effective way to meet the upcoming federal mattress flammability standard for consumers who are interested in FR protection but are not ready to replace their mattress.
The patent-pending FireDefender Sleep System, a two-piece set, is the first product of its kind on the market, said the company.
It protects mattress sets from igniting for up to 30 minutes, giving families more time to escape and firefighters more time to contain a blaze, Louisville Bedding said.
FireDefender, introduced at the recent Las Vegas Market, is manufactured by Louisville Bedding and will be distributed by mattress protection company Protect-A-Bed.
"Although the new (FR) law doesn't take effect until July 1, we're bringing this product to market months before that because it is just too important to wait," said Scott Walters, national merchandising manager for Louisville Bedding.
"The FireDefender Sleep System is an important addition to every home's fire safety equipment and a much more affordable way to comply with the new standard than purchasing a new flame-retardant mattress set," he said.
FireDefender is aimed at consumers who have recently purchased a mattress that they are not ready to replace with a new FR model, as well as consumers who want to protect the mattresses in their children's and guest's rooms.
FireDefender is designed to look like a conventional mattress pad and foundation cover. The top piece looks like a traditional mattress pad and the bottom piece looks like a traditional foundation, complete with quilted sidewalls and a non-skid top to keep the mattress from sliding.
The system is created with non-toxic, inherently fire-resistant materials, the company said. The FR fiberfill is reinforced with FR Kevlar threads at critical seams and ensures the same level of fire protection required for new mattresses and boxsprings beginning on July 1.
"We have spent months in the research and development phase," said Walters. "All of the FireDefender Sleep System components and finished products have been fully tested in independent laboratories and have been certified that they not only meet but will exceed the new U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission standard."
Bedding veteran Don Hofmann, a consultant to Louisville Bedding who helped introduce the product in Las Vegas, said consumer research shows that the new FR standard brings additional sales opportunities in the bedding and sleep accessory categories.
"Our research shows that 64% of women will consider buying a new mattress when they hear about the new FR regulations," Hofmann said. "Of the 36% who said 'no thanks' to a new mattress, 84% would be interested in buying a fire-resistant mattress pad set."
The new FireDefender set will retail at about $160 to $175 in queen.
Hofmann said the FireDefender Mattress Pad Set, along with two FR pillows that Louisville Bedding also introduced in Las Vegas, gives mattress retailers incremental sales opportunities, including selling FR protection for the other beds in a house when consumers buy a new mattress for their master bedroom, and selling FR pillows to consumers who buy or have bought new mattresses from them.
Such products could also be used to create a direct mail program targeted at consumers who purchased a new bed in the last one to five years, he said.
Louisville Bedding's new partnership with Protect-A-Bed covers distribution of the products to mattress retailers. Protect-A-Bed's salespeople and retail trainers will sell the products under the Protect-A-Bed FireDefender brand name.
Every year, 20,800 U.S. home fires are attributed to mattresses and bedding, causing 380 deaths and 2,200 injuries, according to Louisville Bedding.
In the last five years, 87 million consumers purchased a new mattress.
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