International Bedding hopes to score with new NFL line
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, July 16, 2007
Fort Lauderdale, Fla. — International Bedding hopes to blitz the competition with its new National Football League mattress line.
The line is tough enough to take a linebacker to dreamland, company officials say. It features a luxury-firm build with excellent edge support, they said.
This marks the first NFL-licensed mattress line, according to IB officials. They are working with Baseline Licensing Group to introduce the line, set for launch at the Las Vegas Market later this month.
It will be accompanied by a line of NFL-licensed headboards, featuring all 32 NFL teams.
Retails on the NFL mattresses, designed around the team colors on the border and panel, start at $399 for a twin set. A queen-size set will retail at $799 and a king-sized set at $999.
"The power of the NFL brand is something that the bedding business is about to realize," said the company, adding the new line should appeal to millions of pro football fans.
The beds will have a corner streamer carrying the team logo. Hangtags will feature an NFL hologram.
The program is designed to provide "NFL-tough" merchandise, IB officials said. The beds will carry 10-year non-prorated warranties.
IB also is introducing headboards tied to other pro sports, including Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Assn. In addition, some headboards highlight National Collegiate Athletic Assn. teams.
The producer also is stepping up its efforts in the latex bedding arena. Its new Essentia line, set for limited distribution, signals the company's seriousness about competing in latex, officials said.
Essentia features telescoping latex cores developed with advanced mold technology that yield a more sophisticated reaction to downward pressure, resulting in superior conformability and comfort, according to the company.
The line will tout a natural rubber story and will utilize elements like copper and silver to provide antimicrobial resistance in the ticking. The result will be a line that will be "greener, smarter and less expensive" than competitors' latex lines, the company said.
