Specialty bedding manufacturer Tempur-Pedic has opened its first company-owned and operated retail store in the United States in the affluent Boston suburb of Natick, Mass. The 3,500-square-foot store in the Natick Mall opened its doors the week of July 18. The store carries every Tempur-Pedic mattress collection, as well as the company’s sleep accessories.
New Tempur-Pedic retail store at the Natick Mall in Natick, Mass.
“Flagship stores have been trending for a while outside the bedding industry,” said Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America. “We have already owned flagship stores in several countries around the world, and our experience with these stores has been very successful in driving brand awareness, trial and growth.”
The stores are an important part of the company’s “test and learn” methodology, giving Tempur-Pedic the chance to learn firsthand how marketing, messaging and products connect with consumers, Anderson said.
“We see the stores acting (for consumers) much as our ‘information kits’ do today,” he said. “They are a deeply engaging place to test the product, learn about its advantages and, hopefully, plant the seeds of purchase intent. We understand that most visitors to our stores are not yet ready to buy, but we are confident we’ll drive incremental potential Tempur-Pedic buyers back into the local market for the future.”
Anderson continued: “We know from past efforts that quality trial and experiencing on our product is one the most important factors in driving future Tempur-Pedic purchase interest and that is, at its core, the objective” (of these new stores).
