Sofa-sleepers add gel, memory foam to mattresses

Larry Thomas -- Furniture Today, October 29, 2012

A gel-infused mattress is part of Palliser’s new My Comfort sofa-sleeper program.HIGH POINT - Upholstery producers are taking a cue from their mattress industry brethren by offering a variety of gel foam and memory foam mattresses in their newest sofa-sleepers.
     At least a half-dozen upholstery showrooms had such mattresses at market, hoping to take advantage of their surge in popularity in the bedding world.
     Upholstery executives say the success of Tempur-Pedic's line of high-end memory foam mattresses and Serta's iComfort line of gel-infused foam sleep sets give instant credibility to the new sleeper mattresses - not to mention a more comfortable night's sleep.
     Plus, they say it allows retailers to boost their sales per square foot since the newest mattresses usually add $100 to $300 to the retail ticket.
     "Memory foam is a product that really resonates with consumers, and combined with our brand, it gives the retailer a great opportunity to sell an upgraded product," said Mark Wagner, vice president of brand and retail marketing at La-Z-Boy, which unveiled a memory foam sleeper mattress at market.
     Bruce Birnbach, president of American Leather, said his company's decision to add a gel-infused foam model to its mattress offerings was an easy one, given its success with a high-end Tempur-Pedic sleeper mattress unveiled two years ago.
     "Gel is so popular in the bedding industry right now. It just made sense to make it a part of our sleeper program," said Birnbach. "We think we will do well with it."
     American Leather introduced its gel mattress as part of the latest upgrade to its popular Comfort Sleeper program, which features a proprietary mechanism that allows for easy opening and closing, he said.
     Also jumping on the gel-infused bandwagon was Lane, which showed its iRest gel-infused memory foam sleeper mattress, and Palliser, which had a gel-infused foam mattress as part of its new high-end sofa-sleeper program, My Comfort.
     For iRest, Lane took a marketing approach similar to what Serta does with iComfort - emphasizing the way gel helps cool the memory foam surface.
     "Gel has been huge in bedding and the consumer really understands what it can do," said merchandise manager Bo Morrison.
     La-Z-Boy, meanwhile, focused on the comfort of its newest sleeper mattress. It features a quilted, ¾-inch layer of memory foam combined with a second, two-inch layer of memory foam over three inches of high-density foam.
     "This helps take the comfort experience to a whole new level," Wagner said.
     Morrison agreed that comfort is crucial - even for a sleeper mattress. "At the end of the day, the consumer is going to ask herself if she can feel the bar underneath (the mattress). If she can't, it's a winner," he said.