What are we to make of the new program that targets mattress sales at Wal-Mart? That was a topic of conversation in bedding showrooms at the fall market. I was asked for my thoughts several times. 

Here’s my expanded answer: 

The bedding program at Wal-Mart is spearheaded by a new company called Mattress Works. A management and marketing outfit based in Greenville, S.C., it is headed by six principals of Park Place, the third-generation, independent bedding maker also based in Greenville. Park Place is a progressive, respected bedding maker. 

Mattress Works has signed supply agreements with Park Place (no surprise) and ...Read More

Wonder where the mattress business is headed? Let’s check in with our friends in the vodka category and see what clues we can find. Vodka? Yes, vodka. 

Now I must admit that I don’t have first-hand knowledge in this category. For me, single-malt Scotch is the way to go when something stronger than sweet tea is called for. But I was struck by several points in a recent Wall Street Journal column on trends in vodka-ville. 

It seems that while sales of high-priced vodka continue to grow, “just about anyone can — and is — getting into the vodka marketing game,” the Journal said. That sounds just like the bedding industry, where competition continues to grow as more and more companies roll out new products. 

It’s not enough, the column said, to assert claims of superior taste, since discern...Read More

Are bedding imports friends or foes for retailers? That’s a bit overstated, I admit, but you see where I’m headed — a discussion of the role bedding imports play on retail floors.

I admit I’m prompted to raise the “foe” possibility by the continuing anti-import sentiment that exists in our industry. Those tainted mattresses discovered by a Dutch bedding retailer a few weeks ago didn’t help the pro-import cause, and sparked plenty of industry buzz.

Leading bedding importers tell me that retailers love the robust margins they say their lines provide, and I don’t see any bedding importers disappearing from the scene. But serious questions remain about the future of bedding imports. Few bedding insiders think mattress imports will be nearly as big a factor as imports of wood furniture have become in case goods. ...Read More