Ashley aggressively backs bedding
David Perry -- Furniture Today, October 23, 2011
AT THE MARKET — Mattresses are a star in the broad merchandise portfolio offered by Ashley Furniture Inds., and the producer aims to add luster to that star with a new national advertising program.
The broad-line manufacturer began national advertising for its Ashley Sleep line this month, and has a multimillion-dollar national ad budget set for 2012, company officials said.
"Bedding is a big part of our business and it is becoming a bigger part of our business," said Ron Wanek, Ashley's chairman. "We want to promote it the way it should be promoted."
He said bedding is the biggest growth category at Ashley these days.
Ben Thorud, senior vice president of Ashley's HomeStores program and the key architect of the company's bedding push, said the national advertising shows the company is serious about the mattress business.
"Ashley is committed to the sleep category," Thorud said. "We will continue national advertising for Ashley Sleep to the tune of several million dollars next year."
Ashley's mattress profile is on the rise.
The bedding program at the Ashley HomeStores, which currently have about 450 locations, is thriving this year, Thorud said. "We are having a great year," he said. "We are up 28.5% in our mattress business."
The Ashley HomeStores carry bedding by four vendors: Ashley Sleep, Sealy, Simmons and Tempur-Pedic. The assortment usually includes almost two dozen beds at retail prices ranging from $299 to $2,999.
Specialty sleep models are retail standouts these days, Thorud said, and now account for almost 40% of the business in the bedding program.
National advertising for the bedding offerings in the HomeStores began during the President's Day holiday this year and will continue, according to Thorud.
And Ashley has revamped its own bedding brand. The Ashley Sleep line saw a big push earlier this year with the unveiling of a new seven-bed specialty line consisting of four memory foam beds and three latex beds. The line is backed by three pillows, retailing from $15 to $99.
Ashley is using green tea and charcoal in its memory foam and latex beds to eliminate odors and offer fresh-smelling mattresses, the company said.
The beds are shipped compressed and rolled, taking up 75% less space than conventional bedding shipments.
Retailers can buy one bed or a truckload. All of the beds are in stock for immediate delivery.
Thorud said Ashley's bedding program is gaining momentum.
"We are looking forward to building a brand in the bedding category," he said. "We will do that with national advertising, which shows a commitment to our dealers and shows we believe in the category. When you can create a push versus a pull with the consumer, you've got a win-win."
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