Luxury bedding stars push the envelope
By David Perry -- Furniture Today, September 1, 2008
HIGH POINT — The bedding industry is engaged in a soaring price race that is pushing retail prices into the stratosphere. First the $50,000 barrier fell, followed by the $60,000 barrier. For the moment, the industry's top-priced bed rests at the lofty price of $75,000.
These high-end superstars are not for the common consumer, of course. They do provide a ready answer for the consumer who says he or she wants the very best sleep set, with price being no object.
Perhaps more importantly, bedding insiders say, the high-end beds generate attention for the mattress category. A while back, The New York Times devoted a full page to an examination of the ultra high-end sleep sets on the market.
The value of that attention: Priceless.
Some retailers are flooring a high-end sleep set to create a buzz in their stores. Magniflex, the maker of the $75,000 sleep set, has loaned its bargain-priced gold mattress, which retails at “only” $25,000, to some retailers for special events.
There's another advantage of carrying super-priced sleep sets, bedding experts note: They make the merely expensive sleep sets, those retailing for $3,000 or $4,000, look a lot more reasonably priced. Producers say those prices, while still high, are within reach of a growing number of consumers. Many consumers will pay a premium to get a good night's sleep, they say.
Here's an overview of some of the high-end bedding lines making news these days.
