ISPA show enjoys solid turnout
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, March 15, 2010
CHARLOTTE, N.C. —
A surge in sales in the weeks before the International Sleep Products Assn. Expo here put show attendees in an upbeat, buying mood, exhibitors reported.
This every-other-year show, a worldwide showcase for the latest components in sleep sets, enjoyed a solid run, according to exhibitors. Almost 170 suppliers from around the world showed their wares at the Expo.
The suppliers reported that bedding producers were looking for new innerspring units, foams and fibers to set their lines apart on retail floors. Green and recycled products did well, as did innovative new components, the suppliers said.
Don Wright, chief marketing officer at Wright of Thomasville and ISPA chairman, proclaimed himself “very pleased” with turnout at the Expo. “I give this show a thumbs-up,” he said. “As an industry, we came into this show with momentum. Manufacturers at the show are looking for that new angle, that way of differentiating their lines.”
Dwayne Welch, executive vice president of Hickory Springs, offered a similar assessment: “People are in a good mood and are feeling upbeat about business. They are in an innovation mood, looking to bring new product ideas to retailers and consumers.”
Hickory Springs spotlighted its 50 years in the polyurethane business, emphasized its ability to bundle bedding components to meet producers' varying needs, and introduced two new innersprings, a fine-wire bonnell and a seven-inch InnerACT unit.
Another major spring supplier, Leggett & Platt, introduced VertiCoil Edge — a lighter, stronger coil designed to create a mattress with an equal distribution of firmness, the company said.
“We recently conducted research to better understand consumers, and we're using that information to drive product innovation,” said Mark Quinn, group executive vice president of marketing for L&P's Bedding Group. “Both innovation and quality of sleep are important to consumers, and we've met those needs in our creation of VertiCoil Edge.”
L&P developed its own wire-forming computerized machinery to create the new spring unit, part of the company's VertiCoil family, the most successful product launch in the history of L&P's Bedding Group, the company said.
Latex International, which had a display demonstrating the breathable nature of latex, had a good show, said Kevin Stein, vice president of marketing and research and development.
“Spirits are up and excuses are over,” Stein said, summing up moods in the industry. “Hope is becoming reality. There is more sell through on retail floors and retailers are selling higher ticket items.”
Latexco introduced a family of eco-friendly latex products called Paralux, some of which are fused — using no glue — with memory foam, polyurethane foam and various fibers.
“The reaction to Paralux has been really positive,” reported Vincent Gesquiere, general manager and executive vice president. He said Latexco is aiming to expand the market for latex by offering exclusive components and “not just a block of foam.”
Foam major Carpenter introduced Avela, a memory foam with an open cell structure, and also exhibited a shoulder-cut design in pillows designed to aid side sleepers.
Another foam major, FXI, introduced three new foams. The Aerus family of memory foams has been expanded to include offerings that range from three-pound to 10-pound designs. The Activus foam has been reformulated to offer high resiliency and shape-conforming comfort, while Altus is the lightest and softest polyurethane available, according to the company.
Vita Nonwovens enjoyed a good show, according to Dennis St. Louis, director of sales and marketing. “We were very happy with the market,” he said. “Charlotte is a good place for this show.”
“We were very pleased with the quality of people we saw,” added Tim McRee, national bedding manager at Wm. T. Burnett & Co. “We've seen all the key decision makers we wanted to see.”
Enjoying a successful return to the Expo was Culp Home Fashions.
“We've had a very good show,” said Mike Cottonaro, a Culp executive. “This is a great venue to make eye contact with our customers.”
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