Buyers Respond Well to New Mattress Offerings

David Perry -- Furniture Today, August 24, 2011

LAS VEGAS - The mattress category, a key segment here, generally performed well at the recent market.
     Major producers were pleased with their showings, reporting strong traffic and good response to their new lines. Others said traffic was lighter than expected, andt noted that a challenging business climate isn't helping the category.
     "Overall," said Jodi Allen, chief marketing officer at Sealy, "we were pleased with the consistent flow of traffic in the Sealy showroom. We used this market to focus on our retailers previewing the new Stearns & Foster line and marketing campaign, and the overall response was tremendous."
     Serta added a model to its strong-selling iComfort line of gel memory foam beds, an exclusive gel latex model retailing at $2,999, a new top price point for the line. "Before we even showed the bed we were getting orders for it," said Serta President Bob Sherman.
     Also well received at Serta was a new "sleep to go" line of sleep accessories.
     Simmons came to market under the banner of "Project New," a way to emphasize the breadth of its new lines, which included ComforPedic Loft and Natural Care, and a NuFlex foundation.
     Simmons CEO Gary Fazio said traffic appeared good for a summer show.
     Dave Roberts, president of Comfort Solutions, said traffic appeared to be light, but said that was not unexpected given a challenging economic picture.
     "We have to be aggressive," Roberts said of his company's promotions. "And retailers need to be aggressive. The ones who are aggressive are the ones who are doing the business."
     Dan Hige, president of International Bedding, described traffic in the IB showroom as busy. "We are seeing a lot of West Coast accounts," he said.
     Restonic President Ron Passaglia said key prospects visited his company and were keying in on an aggressive Labor Day promotion with various ads and point-of-purchase materials, and a sleep set offering a choice of firmness at $599.
     Wright of Thomasville, a supplier of display materials, helped its customers get set up for market - and saw some hopeful signs of a business pick up. "The foundation for better business is being laid," said Don Wright, chairman.
     Eco-friendly bedding lines were featured at Top 15 producer Therapedic, which said the time was right for its first green line, EcoTouch, retailing from $1,699 to $2,999 and offering layers of soybased foams.
     "We've had a strong response to the line," said Gerry Borreggine, president of Therapedic. "Retailers love the look and the interior story. They are saying we have the handsomest product in this category this market."
     And Spring Air made a green leadership claim with its new BioMax Sleep Sense beds, which carry a Level II certification in the Specialty Sleep Assn.'s Environmental & Safety Program. Retails range from $1,299 to $2,199.
     "The reaction has been extremely good," said Rick Robinson, Spring Air president. "We have a lot of follow-up meetings with this line."
     Fast-growing memory foam leader Tempur-Pedic introduced new Tempur Traditional pillows and unveiled new textiles for popular pillow lines.
     "Our consumer research teams brought qualitative and quantitative learnings to this redesign," said Rick Anderson, president of Tempur- Pedic North America. "As we've seen with the recent success of the Tempur-Cloud and Tempur-Contour Collections, this consumer-focused approach, beginning with understanding that everyone sleeps differently, is a key driver as to why Tempur- Pedic is the most highly recommended bed in America."
     Kingsdown made enhancements to strong sellers in its Kingsdown, My Side and Sleeping Beauty lines, and also introduced a Blu- Tek line of gel-cushioned beds.
     Bob Hellyer, Kingsdown president, described market as "really good. We've been slammed." He said the new gel line, retailing from $1,499 to $3,499, sleeps cooler than other specialty sleep lines on the market.
     Cooler sleep was also the story at Englander, showing its new E-Gel line. "Retailers have really been excited about the new gel line," said Kevin Toman, president. "There has been a buzz in the market about it." That line features columns of gel encased in memory foam.
     Paramount Sleep, which exhibited at the Monte Carlo, declared its entry into the Las Vegas Market as a resounding success. "We've been busy from bell to bell," said Richard Fleck, chief marketing officer. "We've had solid appointments all day long. On a scale of one to ten, I would rate this market a ten."