ISPA: Bedding up in double digits in Oct

David Perry -- Furniture Today, December 10, 2012

ALEXANDRIA, Va. - Bedding business accelerated sharply in October, with units posting an 11.8% gain and dollars jumping 12.8% for the month.
     The October Bedding Barometer report, issued by the International Sleep Products Assn., reported a 0.9% increase in the industry's average unit price in October, to $218.67.
     For the first 10 months of the year, bedding units were up 8.6%, while the dollar value of bedding shipments is up 13.7%. The average unit price was up 4.7% through October, to $215.60.
     The October gains were much stronger than those posted in September, when units were up just 1.9% and the dollar value of shipments was up 5.6%.
     The October report does not report innerspring and specialty sleep performance separately; those breakdowns are issued quarterly.
     The 18 bedding producers participating in the monthly reports last year accounted for 66% of total units shipped and about 76% of the wholesale dollar value of those shipments, ISPA said.
     But it cautions that the monthly reports "may not necessarily reflect the performance of the full mattress industry," for a number of reasons, including market share and distribution changes.