Sealy Optimum sales promotion geared to Black Friday

David Perry -- Furniture Today, November 12, 2012

ARCHDALE, N.C. — November isn't normally a strong month for mattress sales, but Sealy sees a big bedding opportunity on Black Friday, the big shopping day on the day after Thanksgiving.

Sealy officials are hoping their dealers will be thanking them for the special promotion, tied to the company's Optimum line of gel memory foam bedding, offering consumers a free box spring with the purchase of a mattress. The event is set to run Nov. 12-26. This year's Black Friday is Nov. 23.

"Black Friday symbolizes the start of the holiday shopping season," said Jodi Allen, chief marketing officer at Sealy. "With our strategically timed promotion, we hope to build on the excitement surrounding the holidays to encourage consumers to visit one of our retail partners and try out one of our newest, most innovative mattresses."

The Black Friday promotion is a continuation of the company's 2012 advertising and promotional program, which consists of Sealy's largest advertising spend in five years, which includes a national TV campaign, digital buy and in-store programs, officials said.

Sealy noted that the National Retail Federation reported that a record 226 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the Black Friday weekend last year, spending an estimated $52.4 billion. This year, the organization predicts national holiday retail sales in November and December will increase 4.1%. And that increase can provide strong selling opportunities for mattress dealers, Sealy said.