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Several new gel bedding lines prove popular

David Perry -- Furniture Today, November 7, 2011

Laurie Tokarz of Restonic sits on a new TempaGel model the company showed at market.HIGH POINT - Gel rhymes with sell, and that's why more gel beds made their debut at the High Point Market.
     The gel bandwagon is picking up speed, with Top 15 producers Therapedic and Restonic hustling new gel lines to market, joining independents Jamison and Paramount Sleep in entering the rapidly evolving gel category here.
     Restonic unveiled prototypes in its TempaGel line of gel-infused memory foam beds, retailing from $1,299 to $2,499. Laurie Tokarz, Restonic vice president, said interest in the line was strong.
     Therapedic said its new "swirl gel" offers a cooler night of sleep than a leading competitor's gel memory foam beds. Gerry Borreggine, CEO of Therapedic, said gel beds were the hit of his company's market showing.
     Jamison officials were pleased with reaction to their new gel beds, which feature a formulation that the company says provides for better temperature control performance than seen in other gel products.
     Paramount, meanwhile, added "cooling gel technology" to its Back Performance line in three versions.
     "People who lead an active lifestyle have benefited from the performance power of gel for years," said Richard Fleck, chief marketing officer at Paramount. "We think it makes perfect sense to use cooling, supportive gel where you need it most - in your mattress."
     Paramount's gel beds feature "breathable memory foam with gel" and a Feran Ice fabric treatment to wick away moisture, the company said.
This is one of the new gel-cushioned beds that are additions to the Back Performance line by Paramount Sleep.     Therapedic, Restonic, Jamison and Paramount joined several other bedding producers here with gel foam beds. That list included Serta, Simmons, Gold Bond, Symbol and Classic Brands.
     The gel boom was launched, industry observers say, by No. 2 Serta, whose iComfort line featuring gel memory foam has been a runaway retail hit.
     Simmons has gel bedding in some of its new Comfor-Pedic Loft models, while Gold Bond's gel line is called Cool Response Gel. Classic Brands, meanwhile, offers Cool Gel memory foam beds and pillows,
     Pure LatexBliss has gel-infused sleep accessories in its GELinside collection of pillows and toppers.
     And more gel beds are on the way.
     Mark Akerman, recently named vice president of sales and merchandising for Klaussner's Enso Sleep Systems unit, said retailers are asking for gel and Enso will provide it to them. "We are developing a gel line now," he said.

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Gel's the word in bedding showrooms at High Point

Oct 26, 2011

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