Ashley Furniture Industries, a manufacturer and retailer based in Arcadia, Wis., has plans to open about 50 sleep shops in 2012 with many more to come.
“Fifty stores this year is a goal that we’re reaching for,” said Ben Thorud, the Ashley Furniture senior vice president who is leading the initiative and is currently scouting Class A and A+ retail properties across the country. “There are many reasons we have made a decision to get into the retail mattress category, one of the biggest being the opportunity to help our customers improve the quality of their lives via better sleep.”
A prototype showroom has been built at Ashley Furniture headquarters in Arcadia. The 4,500-square-foot stores will carry the Ashley Sleep specialty bedding collection, as well as other mattress brands and constructions. Other merchandising specifics have not been released yet.
Zzz’s By Ashley will be based on the same model as Ashley HomeStores, with some locations owned and operated by licensees and others corporate-owned and operated.
