Bedding Today
David Perry Bedding Editor Hi! I\'m David Perry, the bedding editor for Furniture/Today. This is an online version of my Bedding Today column, which appears weekly in the pages of Furniture/Today. I invite you to take advantage of this blog format to share your comments on the topics that I tackle each week.
CPSC's FR enforcement record not impressive
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is not impressing too many people in the mattress industry with its seemingly lax enforcement of the federal mattress flammability standard. And that is a shame. The FR law, which went into effect in July 2007, was among the most expensive regulations ever enacted by the agency. It took effect after years of study and work by the mattress industry, and i ...... Read More
Comments (10)A shocking proposal: Longer warranties
Here’s a novel thought: Let’s lengthen mattress warranties. Yes, you heard me correctly. Why should we stop at 20-year and 30-year warranties when we can offer lifetime warranties? And why should we stop at lifetime warranties when we can offer legacy warranties that can be handed down from father to son and from mother to daughter? I mean, we stand behind our products don’t w ...... Read More
Comments (14)Fendrich ignores Simmons’ struggles
Simmons President Steve Fendrich missed the mark with his recent comments about the financial performance of his struggling company. Simmons released results for its quarter and year ending Dec. 27, and the figures were not pretty. Net sales for the quarter dropped 23.8%, while the company had a net loss of a whopping $487.4 million. For the year, net sales were off by 8.7% and the c ...... Read More
Comments (35)Fendrich ignores Simmons’ struggles
Simmons President Steve Fendrich missed the mark with his recent comments about the financial performance of his struggling company. Simmons released results for its quarter and year ending Dec. 27, and the figures were not pretty. Net sales for the quarter dropped 23.8%, while the company had a net loss of a whopping $487.4 million. For the year, net sales were off by 8.7% and the company r ...... Read More
Comments (1)Tempur-Pedic takes knocks for patent lawsuit
Memory foam leader Tempur-Pedic sent shock waves through the bedding industry last week when it filed a patent infringement suit against 17 companies, including the industry’s three largest producers: Sealy, Simmons and Serta. Tempur-Pedic said it believes those companies are violating a patent that it says protects the proprietary design and construction of Tempur-Pedic mattresses. That la ...... Read More
Comments (19)Story on $1M mattress loss an Internet hit
This just might be the most popular mattress story to ever hit the consumer press. You can find the story here. A brief recap: A woman in Tel Aviv buys a new mattress for her elderly mother as a surprise gift. She hauls out the decades-old mattress and installs the new one in its place. The next day her mother gives her the bad news: She had been using that old mattress as a bank. It was stuffed w ...... Read More
Comments (7)Robinson's big new job: Relaunch Spring Air
Rick Robinson just got a big new job: President of the new Spring Air International LLC. He will be seeking to relaunch the Spring Air brand, which suffered a jarring setback May 5 when the company abruptly shut down its U.S. headquarters. Robinson, 53, is currently in Australia, where he is wrapping up his work for A.H. Beard, the well-known bedding producer based in Sydney. I saw him there last ...... Read More
Comments (13)About those Serta-Simmons rumors
Heard those rumors about Serta buying Simmons? If not, you’ve been stuck in a cave somewhere for the last few days. (Is it cool in there?) I’ve been asked repeatedly about the supposed Serta-Simmons union, and I’ve repeatedly responded that there’s nothing to it … yet. But I also note that this industry has gotten so crazy of late that I can believe almost anythi ...... Read More
Comments (17)Wife's murder latest tragedy to hit Barragan
And now this, a horrifying story that adds another chapter to a string of tragedies haunting mattress executive Napoleon Barragan. Kay Barragan, the estranged wife of 1800mattress.com founder Napoleon Barragan, is found dead in her home. The son who lived with her, a son with a history of mental problems, is charged with her murder. “How many tragedies does this man have to endure?” ...... Read More
Comments (4)Sealy's Rogers sees some good news
The bedding industry, hit hard by a sales slowdown, is looking for some good news. And Sealy CEO Larry Rogers sees some in the company’s latest quarterly report. Bedding’s largest producer was able to post a modest profit (net income was $4.7 million) and to “substantially improve” its operating performance, despite a difficult retail climate in the U.S. and around the ...... Read More
Comments (5)Bedding Conference now has waiting list
Thanks to all of you who just signed up for the Bedding Conference, we are now full. But if you want to join 230 key producers, retailers and suppliers at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point resort in Bonita Springs, Fla., May 5-7, don’t despair. We have established a waiting list. To get on that list, email Angie Moorefield of our staff, or call her directly at 336-605-1063. It’s ...... Read More
Comments (2)Still time to join crowd at Bedding Conference
One of bedding’s biggest events of the year opens next Tuesday. Yes, we are talking about the fourth-annual Bedding Conference, which will be held May 5-7 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs, Fla. We’ve got one of our strongest programs ever ready for the more than 200 retailers, producers and suppliers who are already signed up. The all-star speaker lineup kicks of ...... Read More
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