Bedding Columns

• 10 bedding specialists deliver growth sermon
  We can’t let another week go by without saluting some exceptional bedding retailers who blew the competition away last year. Yes, we are talking about the 10 bedding specialty stores that loomed large on our latest list of the Top 100 U.S. Furniture Stores. more >>
  Jun 26 2007 09:19 AM
  
• Simmons, Tempur, Select set fast ’06 growth pace
  Our latest bedding producer rankings, which you’ll find in our latest print issue and soon in our online store, illustrate yet again the rapidly changing nature of our industry. There are some familiar shining stars but, overall, many of the industry’s best-known players experienced a tough year in 2006. more >>
  Jun 20 2007 01:00 AM
  
• Constant changes reflect our dynamic industry
  As the bedding industry celebrates Memorial Day, the traditional kickoff of the important summer sales season, it’s a good time to take stock of where we are, what’s happening, and what it all means. more >>
  Jun 01 2007 05:58 AM
  
• Kiwi Butcher’s pitch: Come fly with me .... in paradise
  The voice on the other end of the phone, half a world away, sounded relaxed. Roger Butcher, one of the waterbed pioneers in the ’70s, was in paradise. “I feel like I’ve hit the lottery,” he told me. more >>
  May 17 2007 07:27 AM
  
• Bad economic news? Here’s what you can do
  We got a double-barreled dose of bad news the other day when two key economic indicators took a turn for the worse. Consumer confidence tumbled to a nine-month low, and home sales posted their sharpest drop in 18 years. more >>
  May 07 2007 09:56 AM
  
• Retail Giant points way to selling better sleep
  Now that’s what we were talking about. The day after I returned from Texas, where we successfully held our second Bedding Conference, I was greeted with a newspaper insert from Mattress Firm that perfectly embodied one of our key conference themes: The need to sell better sleep. more >>
  May 07 2007 09:38 AM
  
• What women really want: A better night's sleep
  So it turns out that what women really want is a better night’s sleep. Who knew it was so simple!  The National Sleep Foundation recently reported that well over half of American women (60%) say they only get a good night’s sleep a few nights per week, with 67% saying they frequently experience a sleep problem. And 43% of women say that daytime sleepiness interferes with their daily activities. more >>
  Apr 25 2007 09:42 AM
  
• ‘Holy Grail’ study spurs encouraging responses
  My recent column on the possible discovery of bedding’s "Holy Grail" sparked a flurry of e-mails. Retailers, producers and suppliers all asked me for more information. That’s a good sign. more >>
  Mar 27 2007 09:47 AM
  
• Buying gap data revealbig bedding opportunities
  Our report on the buying gap in home furnishings offers good and bad news for the bedding industry. The report, published in the Feb. 26 issue, shows that bedding has the third-highest buy-shop ratio, trailing only infant cribs and glider rockers. That ratio is the percentage of buying households compared with the percentage of shopping households. For bedding, the percentage is 71%. more >>
  Mar 20 2007 10:08 AM
  
• Comfort Solutions fires big shot in fight for more color
  When Dave Roberts saw the "sea of sameness" on mattress floors, he decided to do something about it. Good for him. more >>
  Mar 14 2007 08:17 AM
  
• New study offers Holy Grail for why folks need new bed
  If I were in charge of the retail bedding world, I would ditch all of those low-ball price ads and free-free-free offers and try something different: Selling better sleep. more >>
  Mar 01 2007 07:10 AM
  
• Want to grow your business? Come to our April conference
  Retailers looking to grow their bedding business should pencil in the dates April 18-20. That’s when a group of industry experts will share their insights on how to find success — and profits — in the brave new world of bedding. more >>
  Feb 21 2007 07:04 AM
  
• Per-month and per-night pricing: Too soft or savvy?
  The problem: We’re selling bedding for thousands of dollars, but we don’t want to scare consumers off by touting four-figure prices in newspaper ads. more >>
  Jan 24 2007 11:37 AM
  
• Sealy takes important step toward shorter warranties
  Some of my friends in the industry have asked me in recent weeks: What do you think of Sealy’s move to shorten warranties on its new promotional Sealy brand line? more >>
  Jan 16 2007 01:43 PM
  
• Rule of Threes holds true, but will cycle be broken?
  The presidents of two Top 15 bedding producers were talking the other day, wondering which one of them might be getting the ax. Someone had to go. Who would it be? Well, it turned out to be someone else. Those two presidents are still in their current jobs. They can breathe a sigh of relief. more >>
  Jan 02 2007 01:48 PM
  
• With insights in hand, we predict a tough 2007
  The news is not good but, to cite that oft-heard saying, "It is what it is." And what it is is a forecast for a year of shrinking unit volume and only modest gains in the dollar volume of bedding shipments. more >>
  Dec 19 2006 04:45 AM
  
• Magowitz honors mom by fighting pancreatic cancer
  Seena Magowitz believed that one person could make a difference in the fight against cancer. She raised money to fight the disease, something her son, Roger, witnessed at an early age. more >>
  Dec 12 2006 08:12 AM
  
• 2006 Bedding Yearbook--Highlights from an eventful year
  The images flash to mind quickly as I reflect back on an eventful year on the bedding beat. more >>
  Dec 06 2006 06:40 AM
  
• 20 years later, Spears has realized growth plans
  It was a landmark day for Spears Mattress, a day made possible by 13 years of hard work, and a day when the future looked as bright as the past. more >>
  Dec 04 2006 11:14 AM
  
• Tips on getting coverage in your favorite trade paper
  This week we talk about how to get editorial coverage in Furniture|Today. There are a significant number of industry players who are largely clueless on this topic. Only a handful of key executives appear to appreciate and understand the power of a consistent profile in the editorial pages of Furniture|Today. more >>
  Nov 28 2006 11:07 AM