Bedding unit sales climb 9.6% in March

David Perry -- Furniture Today, May 26, 2011

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The bedding industry roared back in March from a subpar showing in February, with units increasing 9.6% and the dollar value of shipments soaring by 17.6%, according to the International Sleep Products Assn.

Those gains put the industry solidly into positive territory for the first quarter of the year, according to the monthly sample of large producers' performance, reported by ISPA.

The February report showed a 3% decline in units with dollars up 4.9% from the same month a year earlier. March's strong showing positions the bedding category for a good run in the important summer selling season, bedding observers say.

The ISPA monthly reports present the results of producers accounting for 65% of total units and 73% of total dollars, according to ISPA. But the bedding industry's trade association cautions that those monthly reports "may not necessarily reflect the performance of the full mattress industry."

The March Bedding Barometer also provides a breakdown on the performance of innerspring bedding and specialty bedding, and the figures show the specialty category making major gains.

In March, innerspring mattress units increased 10.4%, while specialty mattress units soared 27.2% from a year ago. The dollar value of innerspring mattress units jumped 15.6% in March, far below the 32.5% gain in the dollar value of specialty mattresses, ISPA reported.

For the first quarter, innerspring mattress units were up 3.5%, while specialty mattress units were up 20.1%. The dollar value of innerspring mattresses was up 6.7%, while the dollar value of specialty mattresses rose 18.6%.

The average unit price continues on the upswing this year, according to ISPA. It rose 8.1% in February and jumped 7.3% in March. For the first quarter, the average unit price was up 5.1% from a year earlier, to $195.95, ISPA said.