The optimism among mattress and sleep accessory manufacturers was palpable at the winter Las Vegas Market. Buoyed by the expectation of an upturn in sales this year, exhibitors treated retailers to a host of new products and innovations, with value built into every price point.
Jim Nation, president of Five Star Mattress, which has headquarters in Hoffman Estates, Ill., reported that retailers were much more upbeat than during recent furniture markets and were “happy to have survived the toughest times.”
“We had a really nice market,” said Mike Mason, director of brand development and integration at Lexington, Ky.–based Tempur–Pedic. “No one wants to say things are great, but our sales guys and our retailers are seeing sun on the horizon.”
Mattress styling stood out during the market, held Feb. 1–5 at the World Market Center. Upholstery–look borders with contrasting top panels and tape–edge treatments were stars. Intricate quilt patterns abounded. There were fabrics studded with crystals at Serta, tack–and–jump florets at Simmons Bedding Co. and hand–tufted borders at E.S. Kluft & Co.
Specialty foams—used alone or in combination with innersprings—dominated constructions. More manufacturers sought to solve couples’ sleeping conflicts by introducing dual–comfort beds and modular constructions in new and existing mattress lines.
And gel solidified as a high–end comfort layer. Natura World reported interest in its NexGel collection, first introduced at the September Las Vegas market. Serta added Smart Support gel to its Perfect Day collection, as well as four others. The top bed in Park Place Corp.’s Sleep Spa collection incorporates gel and Comfort Solutions is “testing the water” on gel with the prototype Angelic line. While most gel layers are a honeycomb–like construction, Spring Air International’s Sleep Sense beds use a component with a consistency more like Jello–O.
Tech–savvy manufacturers reached out to help retailers cross the digital divide. Kingsdown, a Sleep to Live company, offered a Digital Welcome Kit for retail sales associates, help with search engine optimization and a library of syndicated content. Simmons provided a turnkey Google Adwords program for retailers. And Pure LatexBLISS’s Kurt Ling, a Twitter fan, is tweeting out a fact a day, beginning with general information on a monthly theme and drilling down into details as the month progresses.
Going deeper into ‘green’ “Green” components have gone mainstream in better bedding. There was much talk of bio–foams, natural latex, sustainably forested wood, organic and cellulosic yarns, recycled steel and more.
Englander’s new Posture Support Plus collection for larger–than–average sleepers has a “strong all–natural story,” said Mark Freeman, vice president of sales for Englander’s Philadelphia licensee. The new beds have suggested retail prices between $899 and $2,000 for queen sizes.*
International Bedding Corp., based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reported seeing “good quality traffic and strong interest” in its relaunched Origins line, Origins Organics. The all–foam beds have a polyurethane base fused to latex, visco–elastic or both. Models retail for $799 to $2,499.
“We are trying to provide a lot of retail value and more gross margin dollars for retailers, while being environmental stewards as best as we can,” said Eric Johnson, IBC senior vice president of marketing and merchandising. “The nails are recycled metal, woods are from managed forests, we use latex and polyurethane foam with soy and we don’t use glues.”
Boston–based Spring Air International has “re–greened” its Nature’s Rest line, said President Rick Robinson.
“The brand got off track for a while, but we’ve gone back to where we started years ago,” he said. “We’re using components like Joma wool and certified all–natural latex. We also take zoning to a new level in the hip and shoulder areas.” The six beds in the line are priced between $1,300 and $2,900.
“This is a special brand,” Robinson said. “We don’t want this bed to be a commodity.”
Natura World, with headquarters in Cambridge, Ontario, introduced GreenSpring innerspring mattresses—three beds with three comfort levels. The bed’s individually wrapped, zoned coils are 100% recycled steel, precompressed to yield “the perfect level of comfort and ‘push back’, ” said Julia Rosien, communications director. Other components include Talalay latex, visco–elastic foam with soy–based content, natural wool and cotton. Approximate retail prices are $999 to $1,599.
“All–natural Ostermoor—it’s not just a bed, it’s a new American luxury brand,” said Dave Young, president of Fort Atkinson, Wis.–based VyMaC Corp., and co–developer of the revitalized brand. Each of the four models contains 60 pounds of wool; 2 inches of natural Talalay latex; an innerspring unit without border rod; an eight–way, hand–tied box spring; and a traditional striped cover. The beds retail for between $8,000 and $10,000.
Innersprings shaped by ‘value’ Therapedic International added three mid–priced models to its Therawrap by Therapedic collection. The beds retail for $699, $799 and $999 and offer “basic luxury” with their edge–to–edge wrapped coils, high–density foams and black–and–silver detailing, said Gerry Borreggine, president of the Princeton, N.J.–based licensing group.
Mattress and futon maker Gold Bond focused on offerings under $1,000 with high–end features. The Countess has a 2–inch Talalay latex layer, edge–to–edge encased coils and a super plush cover. The Chelsea is a two–sided bed with a 13–inch profile and edge–to–edge coils. Both models retail for about $699.
“We want to give retailers more options and enable them to increase margins at ‘velocity’ price points with our high–quality, American–made products,” said Bob Naboicheck, president of the Hartford, Conn.–based company.
Atlanta–based Simmons revamped its Beautyrest brand to include the good–better–best Classic, Anniversary (Simmons’ 85th) and World Class collections. Features include a “new pocketed coil gauge and pioneering foams that satisfy the consumer’s yearning for a plush/firm feel,” said Rolf Sannes, Beautyrest brand director. Prices range from $599 to $1,999.
The brand is promoted through a new tag line, “It’s not just sleep, it’s Beautyrest,” as well as fresh advertising and public relations programs. New point–of–purchase materials include pocketed–coil demo units.
Park Place, which has headquarters in Greenville, S.C., featured the 20–bed American Comfort innerspring line priced at $299 to $899 retail. Foam–encasement begins at the $399 price point. The $599 bed has 1 inch of either visco–elastic foam or latex.
“Sealy has launched its first value line since 2007,” said Dax Allen, marketing manager for Sealy, Bassett and private label. “We’re seeing intense pressure at the below $750 price point because consumers are looking for great values at affordable prices.”
The new beds from the Archdale, N.C.–based company come in five levels, opening at $299 for a foam core with woven cover and topping out at $699 for a foam–encased innerspring unit with specialty foams and knit covers. Sealy celebrated Posturepedic’s 60th anniversary by filling in some mid–range prices points. Eight new beds are priced at $899 to $1,199 and contain layers of specialty foams.
Mattress licensing group Restonic has given ComfortCare “a new do,” said President Ron Passaglia. ComfortCare debuted nine models priced at $599 to $1,299 that sport features such as “silver covers and a ventilated firming–foam base layer.” Beds at $999 and above have Restonic’s Marvelous Middle lumbar support. The entire line is supported by new point–of–purchase materials.
Five Star Mattress introduced the 14–model True Luxury Collection (TLC) with a pocket coil core topped with layers of Talalay latex and visco at price points from $599 to $1,299. TLC models—with coffee shop–inspired names such as Scone and Mocha—feature beige suede borders, dark taupe tape–edges and white knit tops with taupe accents.
“Retailers love it,” Nation said. “The look is sophisticated and rich and it’s a departure from the all–white bed.” Comfort Solutions, a mattress licensing group with headquarters in Willowbrook, Ill., redesigned the King Koil value line for the Las Vegas market. Beds retail for $399 to $799 in queen size and feature contemporary geometric quilt patterns, foam encasement and VertiCoil innersprings. The company also added more luxurious fabrics and styling to its XL eXtended Life collection for plus–size sleepers. The mattresses are priced between $1,199 and $1,999.
Mattress importer Stylution, which recently leased Wickline’s Escondido, Calif., facility and acquired the bankrupt brand’s equipment and intellectual property, reintroduced the Sleep Therapy brand. The beds, with encased coils and a variety of specialty comfort layers, retail for $999 and under.
“We are now able to offer a whole new level of service and selection,” said Ed Scott, Stylution president and chief executive officer. “We’re bringing in compressed product from China, opening it in our Escondido facility and reshipping. Retailers can buy less quantity and we can service a wider variety of customers.”
Innovation across price points
E.S. Kluft & Co. enlarged its offering of outer–tufted “open–chamber” beds at more affordable prices, starting at $1,999. The patented, hand–tufted border ensures that “all materials in the bed work in unison with the sleeper,” said Earl Kluft, president of the Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.–based company. “The open chamber prevents a drum or trampoline affect that can occur when inner materials are stretched and pulled tight as the beds are sewn up.”
Spring Air’s zoned Sleep Sense collection gives consumers a choice of four pressure–relieving modules that are inlaid over the bed’s patent–pending zoned and wrapped coil unit. The hybrid bed uses Comfort Lok, an interlocking system of foam and springs. Zoned panels include specialty foams, as well as gel. The beds retail for $1,199 to $1,799.
The Organicpedic 81 from Organic Mattresses Inc., which has headquarters in Yuba City, Calif., takes dual comfort and personalized zoning to new levels—81 levels, to be exact. Inside the zippered organic cotton cover lie 18 upholstered modules of natural Talalay latex in three levels of firmness. A consumer can customize and arrange to her heart’s content. The bed’s core is topped by a single piece of channeled latex. The two–sided bed retails for $7,995.
Comfort Solutions’ new foam–encased SleepiD is available in dual–comfort models for couples and has encased coils along with a variety of specialty foam comfort layers. The beds retail for $899 to $1,799 in queen size.
Serta, based in Hoffman Estates, Ill., relaunched Perfect Day, first introduced in 2005. Beds are coil–on–coil and the styling is elegant with a gray upholstered foundation and contrasting white mattress with shimmering fabric and crystals. Retail prices for a queen range from $1,599 to $3,000. The mattress’ unique Position Perfect handles are an eye–catching feature.
Serta also has licensed Nickelodeon cartoon characters Dora, Diego and SpongeBob for colorful children’s twin and full mattresses. The visco or innerspring beds sport vibrant woven print covers with stain resistance. They retail for $299 in twin and $399 in full.
Introduced four years ago and making its debut appearance in Las Vegas, Somnium is an “eco–friendly, chemical–free” innerspring mattress with patented Omniflex springs made of a strong, lightweight elastomer. The Venice, Calif.–based company’s innerspring mattress retails for $3,300 and can be purchased with a $350 slatted base. The cover unzips and components are easily separated into recyclable springs, HR foam layer with bio–based content and a fabric cover.
Licensing group Eclipse International, which is based in North Brunswick, N.J., invited market goers to “Have more fun in bed” with its Playboy line.
“It’s OK to marry the sexual with comfort,” said Matt Connolly, Eclipse president. The Ecstasy is constructed with “extra spring, a little more padding in the center of the bed, several layers of specialty foams and a reversible duvet with two separate feels,” Connolly said. The suggested retail price is $1,999.
Mattress maker Eastman House, also headquartered in North Brunswick, touted a redesigned box spring and added several “inner–tufted” beds, as well as coil–on–coil mattresses.
Foam going it alone
Manufacturers brought out a host of all–foam beds with newly engineered visco–elastic, latex and combinations of the two.
Sealy launched Embody by Sealy, with cores of its synthetic Smart Latex or visco. The mattress sports a creamy tan knit with zigzag stitching and a foundation upholstered in dark chocolate with side pockets for personal items. The eight–bed line is priced from $1,999 to $3,299.
New York–based Sleep Studio made its market debut showcasing the SleepJoy line of foam mattresses, toppers and pillows. The U.S.–made foam beds are available in ViscoFresh memory foam or a formulation of mixed latex and visco called ViscoFresh Latex Memory Foam—a “hybrid material offering more buoyancy and extra support,” said Michael Rothbard, Sleep Studio president. The foams are open cell and more breathable than traditional visco, according to the company. In addition, they are formulated with green tea to eliminate chemical odors and provide a fresh scent. Retail pricing is $1,499 to $1,999.
The new visco ChiliBed takes “sleeping cool” to new extremes, with a temperature range of 46 to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. It retails for $2,299 or $2,899 in dual–zoned queen.
“Coolness is the most desirable feature,” said Todd Youngblood, president of the Mooresville, N.C.–based company. “We’ve gotten testimonials from people going through chemotherapy, menopausal women, couples who can finally sleep together comfortably—there’s so much enthusiasm and energy out there for this product.”
Glideaway Sleep Products, headquartered in St. Louis, has filled in upper price points in its imported 14–bed Sleep Harmony line. Three new bed profiles—a tight top, euro pillow top and super pillow top—retail for $1,299 to $1,499. They have both synthetic latex and visco foams and are upholstered in chocolate brown suede borders with quilted knit tops. Sleep Harmony also includes two youth beds and a co–branded sheet and pillow line.
“We are now a full–service sleep products provider,” said Ron Fredman, executive vice president of sales and sourcing.
Anatomic Global President Jeff Scorziell said his company’s “sweet spot” for visco is $1,000 to $2,000, which is where the new Pure 7 Series mattress fits. It retails for $1,299 to $1,999. The is rolled and vacuum–packed for shipping and is a step up from the Ecomfort Series, featuring super–fast recovery, high–density visco.
Mebane, N.C.–based Kingsdown added luxury latex models to its dual–comfort Sleep to Live 900 Series beds. The 900L has an imported Italian latex layer with large geometric cutouts. It retails for $4,999.
Restonic offered two new HealthRest foam beds in upper price points, $1,499 and $1,899. The collection opens at $899 retail.
EcoSleep, made by Durable Products Co. in Fort Atkinson, Wis., is a rolled and boxed eco–friendly specialty sleep line that launched at the last Las Vegas market.
New this market were two beds priced at $1,299. The Cool Contour Deluxe model has 4 inches of visco or 4 inches of latex and a Tencel cover quilted to Cool Contour foam. A 13–inch bed features a smooth top and 4 inches of 4–pound visco. EcoSleep also added a top–of–the–line solid latex bed that retails for $2,000.
Classic Sleep Products, based in Jessup, Md., promoted its new drop–ship import program that allows retailers to avoid channel conflict by marketing a different product online than they do in their stores. The six–item, private–label program includes three visco and three latex mattresses priced from $499 to $1,299.
At South Bay International, actress Jane Seymour was on hand to spotlight two models added to the import collection that bears her name. The Pomona, Calif.–based company introduced a 14.5–inch bed with three layers of visco in different densities, retailing for $1,899. A new latex model features three layers of 100% natural latex in different densities.
Tempur–Pedic is adding a third model to its new plush–feeling Tempur Cloud collection. The line launched at the September Las Vegas market with the introduction of the Tempur Cloud Supreme ($2,399) and then the Tempur Cloud ($1,999). Winter market goers got a preview of the Tempur Cloud Luxe, which will roll out to stores in August with a suggested retail price of $3,999.
The new collection is meant to appeal to the “49% of people who say they prefer a medium to soft sleep surface,” Mason said. “We are bringing in the other half of the U.S. population. Now they can sleep on a Tempur–Pedic and be happy.”
Accessories not second thoughts
“Why would a guy selling dining room tables care about selling pillows? Well, they do,” said Herman Tam, group vice president of sales and marketing for the Consumer Products Group at Carthage, Mo.–based Leggett & Platt.
Brisk sales for the point–of–purchase displays and a broadened array of sheets and pillows from the company’s Retail Solution program were evenly divided between furniture stores and sleep shops, Tam said.
Throughout the market, exhibitors were rolling out new pillows.
Kingsdown, a Sleep to Live company headquartered in Mebane, N.C., offered a slow–response memory foam Cool Pillow made with coconut milk. New York–based Sleep Studio’s Infinity Pillow is minty green, made with ViscoFresh foam and infused with green tea to eliminate odors. It has two sleep sides.
Tempur–Pedic added a traditional pillow profile to its line–up. The Tempur Cloud Pillow is designed to appeal to consumers who prefer soft “scrunchable” bed pillows, said Mike Mason, director of brand development and integration for the Lexington, Ky.–based company.
Latex International, based in Shelton, Conn., introduced a lofty, temperature–regulating Celsion pillow with gusseting. And licensing group Therapedic International, with headquarters in Princeton, N.J., extended its successful partnership with supplier Soft–Tex, allowing licensees to offer their retailers a complete, Therapedic–branded top–of–bed line, said President Gerry Borreggine.
Natura World is helping retailers keep pillow samples clean with protector sleeves treated with silver—a natural sanitizer. At FabricTech2000, new pillow covers with OmniGuard Ultra are resistant to dust mites, bed bugs, stains and water. The Cedar Grove, N.J.–based company also introduced Elite mattress and pillow protectors with Sanitized Silver fabric finish.
Big moves in body mapping
Body mapping systems to match customers to the right mattress took on new dimensions at the winter Las Vegas furniture market.
Kingsdown, a Sleep to Live company, has upgraded the sleep diagnostics program it introduced a year ago in Las Vegas. The Mebane, N.C.–based company’s system is synched to work with its new My Side Technology, which allows sleep partners to select dual–comfort beds.
“The diagnostics process itself is more personalized and motivational with a new interface and imagery—and it’s multilingual,” said Frank Hood, chief information officer. “It’s available in seven languages and has 4.5 million profiles stored in its database.”
Comfort Solutions unveiled the BodyMatch screening process. Consumers use a touch screen to answer a range of questions related to height, weight, body shape and sleep preferences, then get comfort recommendations for the new dual–comfort SleepiD mattress.
“This is the answer to the customer’s quest to make an intelligent purchase decision,” said Owen Shoemaker, senior vice president of product development for the Willowbrook, Ill.–based licensing group. “The in–store version is intuitive enough that anyone can use it and retailers can offer SleepiD online, allowing customers to find their comfort level in the comfort of their own homes.”
Spring Air International introduced Comfort Silhouette Imaging, a comfort assessment tool that allows retailers to plug in as many as six different bedding brands. Consumers lie on a test bed covered by a blanket with 1,600 sensors. They answer a short series of questions via a touch screen and receive a printout of results.
Developed in partnership with XSENSOR Technology Corp., CSI is “an impartial tool with multibrand credibility that provides an additional trust factor,” said J.P. LeDoux, vice president of sales for the Boston–based mattress licensing group.
Beta testing at 120 retailers in Australia and New Zealand during a two–year period yielded higher close rates, a double–digit decline in mattress return rates and a 12% increase in average unit selling prices, said Spring Air President Rick Robinson.
* All prices are suggested retails for queen–size mattresses unless otherwise noted.
