'It will be a good year in 2010 if…'
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, January 11, 2010
HIGH POINT — It's a pleasant thought: What if the mattress industry has a good year in 2010?
Bedding producers have a number of questions about how strong business will be this year, but they do see a stronger year for the industry this year than last, when the recession took its toll.
As part of its annual bedding outlook, Furniture/Today asked two dozen bedding executives a series of questions about their views on business in 2010.
Here's how the executives answered this question: “It will be a good year in 2010 if…”
Larry Rogers, CEO, Sealy: “We can continue to uncover further insights into the needs of our retail partners and consumers. As a leading brand, we also continue to take a leadership role in satisfying consumers' demands, including the highest quality products and product warranties. We also will continue to strengthen our retail partner relationships to further meet their needs.”
Steve Fendrich, president, Simmons: “It becomes clear that a sustained rebound is under way and the risk of a double-dip recession is eliminated. The indication will be an increase in housing turnover or an improvement in consumer confidence that would result in an increase in consumer discretionary spending. If both were to occur, we could see the type of rebound the bedding industry saw in 1983.”
Kevin Toman, president, Englander: “Unemployment stabilizes and we do not have a major crisis such as a natural disaster or a terrorist attack. The economy is not strong enough to absorb either one of these events.”
Kerry Tramel, president, Lady Americana: “Prices remain stable and allow us (manufacturers) to confidently take value to the marketplace without the fear of violent price fluctuations that we have recently seen.”
Bob Sherman, president of Serta: “The unemployment rate and the housing market turn around.”
Dave Roberts, president of Comfort Solutions: “Unemployment decreases, consumer confidence increases, and material costs are stable.”
Gerry Borreggine, CEO of Therapedic: “Interest rates stay low and real estate rebounds.”
Rick Robinson, president, Spring Air International: “Consumer confidence gets boosted by meaningful improvements in economic drivers like employment and housing. 2010 will be a good year for Spring Air if retailers continue to demonstrate their belief in the strength of our brand and the strength of our new organization.”
Jimmy Orders, president of Park Place Corp.: “It will be a good year in 2010 if the American people demonstrate the principles that have built this wonderful country by reining in our political leadership and getting Americans back to work creating sustainable economic growth.”
Kurt Ling, CEO of Pure LatexBliss: “Traffic picks up and Tempur-Pedic keeps spending on advertising. That is great for the industry. And retailers spend more as business increases.”
Bob Naboicheck, president, Gold Bond: “More people in this country can get back to work. The end game for mattresses, home furnishings and indeed all higher-ticket purchases is that if people are not employed, or are worried about losing their jobs, they will hold out on spending for these items as long as they possibly can. Until unemployment comes down, people are just afraid to spend.”
Marco Magni, vice president of global sales, Magniflex: “Consumers can better understand they can get more out of their bedding than just a white rectangle. There are so many opportunities with new technology for the mattress to help you relax and get a better night's sleep. If customers understood this, they would spend more for a mattress in the United States, as we have seen in other parts of the world.”
Mike Zippelli, CEO of Classic Sleep Products: “It is all about employment. We need to get more people back to work and have those who are already working feel more secure. That will benefit the mattress industry as people will not make a major purchase like our products if they are not working or afraid of losing their jobs.”
Daryl Tarbutton, president, Bemco Associates: “The consumer comes back into the business and retail store traffic improves. The consumer runs two-thirds of the economy, so we need consumers to spend money.”
Peter Tarquinio, CEO of South Bay International: “Consumer confidence continues to rise and our retailers are optimistic and willing to try new products to help generate more customer interest, sales and customer satisfaction.”
Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America: “Macro economic conditions don't deteriorate and modest GDP growth is achieved consistently throughout the year.”
Chris Henning, president of North America sales, Kingsdown: “The economic recovery continues and we see a rebound in consumer confidence. Personally, we will be pleased at Kingsdown if we see a continuation of the success we've had the past 12 months expanding our Sleep to Live distribution channel. We are outpacing many competitors as key retailers realize the benefits of adding a truly unique and proven product and process.”
Ron Passaglia, president, Restonic: “Restonic experiences the same accelerated growth and market share gains versus the industry that we posted in 2009.”
Avi Barssessat, CEO, Hollandia International: “We all have more fun in bed. OK, I know that may sound a bit silly, but look, if we, the people who make sleep products and sell them, don't embrace a more positive attitude, how can we expect our customers to do it?”
Stuart Carlitz, CEO of Eclipse and Eastman House: “The retailers get back to basics and promote with confidence. The key to a successful 2010 is the retailer advertising as if the recession was over.”
Earl Kluft, president, E.S. Kluft & Co.: “It could be a better year if we educate the consumer on investing in a well-made mattress for a good night's sleep.”
Jeff Scorziell, president, Anatomic Global: “We can get realistic about the new normal. Improvements in the employment and consumer confidence statistics by late 2010 should signal the economic stability we need to support our future vision for products that are proudly made in the USA and priced right.”
Walt Bader, president of OMI: “Every product in the U.S. will have a 'green' attribute attributed to it. Consumers are going to be driven to understand the importance of the defined word 'organic' in sorting out product choices. We stand at the forefront of these issues.”
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