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Mattress makers respond to Consumer Reports test

Several companies find things they like

David Perry -- Furniture Today, April 20, 2010

HIGH POINT — Innerspring and memory foam producers found things they liked in the latest mattress report published by Consumer Reports. And so did the industry's largest spring maker.

The two-page report subjected beds from five brands - Sealy, Serta, Simmons, Tempur-Pedic and Select Comfort - to blind rest tests, "assessing each for comfort."

Sealy, which saw one of its innerspring Posturepedic models singled out as "slightly more comfortable" than other beds tested, liked what it saw as a focus on innerspring products.

"Consumer Reports is simply trying to ‘de-mystify' the shopping process for consumers," Sealy said in a statement. "We believe they did their homework on understanding the brands and technologies available in the market and presented their findings fairly. We are pleased to see a focus on innerspring products. We also were pleased about the positive recommendation to consider a latex foam mattress if the consumer sleeps hot."

Memory foam leader Tempur-Pedic, which saw one of its beds receive sharply divided opinions on its feel, said those results validated its own research.

"Tempur-Pedic understands that no one mattress can meet the needs of every consumer, and that's exactly why we have developed three distinct collections," said Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America.

"In this case, it appears Consumer Reports tested one of the mattresses from our Tempur Collection (the Advantage or Classic Bed)," he said. "This collection is designed for consumers who prefer a firmer feel, which is about 50% of the population. The fact that Consumer Reports says this mattress was liked by 48% of the survey participants actually validates our research. Other Tempur-Pedic models, like those in the new Tempur-Cloud Collection, provide a softer, still supportive sleep experience and may be a better fit for the 36% who didn't like the feel of the mattress tested."

Anderson said that Tempur-Pedic always recommends that consumers consider the broader Tempur-Pedic offering. "This variety is a big part of why we believe Tempur-Pedic ranks highest in consumer satisfaction as previously reported by Consumer Reports in their October 2009 issue," he said.

That report listed 10 mattress brands by owner satisfaction; Tempur-Pedic ranked No. 1 on that list. The latest Consumer Reports issue, with a May 2010 cover date, reprinted that earlier listing, which brought some pointed comments by Sealy, which ranked 8th out of 10 brands on that list.

"This study is not indicative of the tremendous strides Sealy has made in product innovation and design over the past two years with the relaunch of the Sealy Posturepedic innerspring line in 2008, the new Stearns & Foster line in 2009 and Embody by Sealy this year - all of which have both performed extremely well in consumer testing and been well-received by our retail partners," Sealy said "We continually seek out new ways to improve. And, most importantly, we have continued to listen to our customers so that we can provide them with the best possible products."

Leggett & Platt, the industry's largest innerspring maker, was pleased to see innerspring beds holding their own in the latest Consumer Reports mattress study.

"It's very telling that when you line up innerspring products next to specialty sleep products at similar price points, consumers don't complain about the springs being uncomfortable," said Mark Quinn, group executive vice president of marketing for L&P's Bedding Group. "This is despite the ridiculous assertions made by some specialty sleep manufacturers."

Quinn was concerned about some of the comments made in the mattress report: "Once you find a bed you like, look at others in that price range, and stop there. There's little reason to buy any higher up a manufacturer's line."

"If Consumer Reports says ‘there's little reason to buy any higher up a manufacturer's line,' then we have some work to do in differentiating our products at the higher price points," Quinn said. "We need to build value in and distinguish our different lines by emphasizing the elements that make the higher price points worth the money (e.g., innersprings, better foam, better comfort materials, higher-end fabrics). It can't be just about the comfort anymore. We are dealing with a different consumer these days."

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