High Point Fall market: Moderating temperatures mixed with sizzling styles

The themes were familiar, but mattress industry exhibitors at the High Point Market held Oct. 13-18 in High Point, N.C., arrived at the show armed with enough new products to keep retailers interested and engaged.

Most news revolved around specialty sleep (no surprise there). More specifically, manufacturers trotted out new takes on gel and upped the ante on temperature regulation with more and more phase-change materials mixed into gels and foams. Since fabrics incorporating phase-change materials have been available for more than a decade, some mattresses and sleep accessories had a double dose of the stuff, inside and out. (Phase-change materials store and release heat, which when used in mattresses, helps to cool or warm the sleep surface in reaction to a sleeper’s body temperature and thus improve her sleep comfort.)

From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, mattress makers outdid themselves. For instance, at Simmons, ComforPedic from Beautyrest sported a dramatically sculpted contemporary knit cover. Magniflex’s use of contrasting knit and quilt patterns on the bed’s panel, border and foundation made an all-white bed into a thing of beauty. Jamison Bedding’s use of creamy white contrasted with shades of blue on beds in a butterfly-strewn showroom was a treat for the eyes.

Here is more of what mattress and sleep products manufacturers rolled out in High Point:

* All prices are suggested retail for queen sets unless otherwise noted.

Glideaway Sleep Products

Glideaway Sleepharmony gel-infused latex bedThe St. Louis-based company launched the three-bed Sleepharmony by Glideaway latex collection, retailing from $999 to $1,699. The entry-level bed has 1 inch of latex over a polyurethane foam core. Two step-up models have 3 inches and 4 inches of latex and gel-infused latex layers, respectively, over polyurethane foam cores. The beds are dressed in creamy double-knit panels with arched, plum-colored velour borders.

Restonic

Restonic TempaGel mattressThe Restonic licensee Alliance Sleep in Buffalo, N.Y., debuted a spacious new Restonic showroom at the International Home Furnishings Center. The large floor display showcased a Restonic Black Friday special for buying group Furniture First. The promotion included the Special Edition Evolve Euro-Top—a pocket spring bed set with TempaGel paired with two TempaGel pillows for $999. TempaGel is Restonic’s proprietary gel-infused memory foam with phase-change Outlast technology.

Ashley Sleep

Gordon Hecht tests Ashley Sleep adjustable bedDirector of Sales Gordon Hecht demonstrates the operation of Ashley Sleep’s new nonsplit king adjustable base. In addition, the Arcadia, Wis.-based company added models to its line of imported specialty sleep mattresses. Ashley Sleep Gel is a collection of four beds retailing from $999 to $1,999, with bright blue “cool and conforming” gel poured over memory foam. The gel component contains bio-based content from soy. Beds ship compressed and rolled.

Paramount Sleep

Paramount HD Super Duty mattressThe Norfolk, Va.-based producer extended its HD Super Duty and Back Performance collections to include all-foam beds. Four new all-foam HD Super Duty beds containing layers of memory foam, gel memory foam or latex retail from $1,699 to $2,999. The entire group has updated covers and styling. Four new foam models in the Back Performance MX series and Back Performance Gel series retail from $999 to $2,199. The company also held a daily drawing during the market, giving away one mattress set per day.

Dorel Home Products

Signature Sleep Dorel Home Products displayMontreal-based Dorel Home Products introduced a branded, promotional line of imported innerspring and specialty bedding models that ship compressed and rolled. Eight Signature Sleep mattresses have components that include encased coils, memory foam and gel foam. The mattresses are packed in handy duffel bags in an attractive floor display and retail for $179 to $349. The company also launched accompanying toppers, pillows and metal bed frames.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Gold Bond

Gold Bond Latex CollectionHartford, Conn.-based Gold Bond moved even deeper into the specialty sleep arena with two all-latex beds. The new models retail for $1,799 and $2,399 and have quilted double-knit panels, contrasting borders and layers of Dunlop latex in graduated levels of firmness. The top bed is two-sided. “We’ve seen that two-sided mattresses last longer, which is part of our value-added proposition,” said President Bob Naboicheck. “These new beds offer consumers the pressure-relieving benefits that only latex can provide.” The company also added two lower-profile, one-sided models to its Sacro-Support Duchess group. The innerspring beds have coil-over-coil construction and retail for $1,399 and $1,499. The all-new Comfort collection was created in response to retailer requests for a softer feel in the value category, Naboicheck said. Retailing from $599 to $1,099, the nine beds have edge-to-edge innersprings and super-soft foams in the quilt panel.

Pure LatexBLISS

Pure LatexBLISSIn addition to showcasing the ActiveFUSION phase-change technology present in the latex and fabrics throughout its entire product line of pillows, mattresses and toppers, Atlanta-based Pure LatexBLISS unveiled new point-of-sale and top-of-bed items that tout its “CustomFIT for You” merchandising program. The program gives retailers the ability to help consumers find just the right comfort combination of mattress, topper and pillow, using only a handful of floor samples.

Therapedic International

Therapedic AgilityLicensing group Therapedic International, with headquarters in Princeton, N.J., redesigned its active-lifestyle Agility collection. The beds represent a new kind of hybrid, pairing a foam core with layers of microcoils and gel foam. The company uses Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.’s Preserve VG, a visco-elastic gel foam with bio-based content. Four beds retail from $1,299 to $2,999 and offer a “flexible and responsive sleep surface” for people who lead an active lifestyle. Point-of-sale materials include lifestyle banners of women running and practicing yoga.

Simmons Bedding Co.

Simmons Comforpedic by Beautyrest mattressAtlanta-based Simmons Bedding Co. revamped its ComforPedic from Beautyrest line. “We’ve made our AirCool memory foam even better with TruTemp gel technology,” said Anne Kozel, Simmons specialty sleep brand manager. “It’s a phase-change material encapsulated within the gel beads in our memory foam and it’s like having your own personal thermostat. It helps consumers sleep in their ideal temperature zone.” The new ComforPedic line retails from $1,299 to $2,499. The company also redesigned its BeautySleep line, adding fresh fabrics, new wrapped-coil beds at promotional price points and proprietary GelTouch visco-elastic foam in the two top models. The beds are priced from $399 to $699. In its High Point showroom, Simmons displayed video monitors, graphics, component examples and demonstration units to educate retailers about the company’s latest product features and technologies.

Jamison Bedding

Jamison TLCThe Brentwood, Tenn.-based producer unveiled an eight-model TLC Talalay latex collection in its butterfly-themed showroom. Retailing from $1,399 to $2,599, the beds are upholstered in shades of azure and white and provide temperature regulation through the use of Talalay Latex GL containing phase-change material. Models include 100% Talalay latex constructions, as well as Talalay and foam builds with Jamison’s Marriott core. Three two-sided Comfort Choice beds at the top of the line offer a plush side and a firm side. Coordinating TLC pillows in three SKUs—part of the company’s new top-of-bed program—were specially priced at two for $149 as part of the line launch.

Shifman Mattress Co.

Shifman Vintage collectionIn honor of the brand’s 120th anniversary, Newark, N.J.-based Shifman Mattress Co. introduced the Vintage collection. Positioned at the center of the company’s price points, the handmade innerspring beds retail from $2,500 to $3,000 and have traditional Shifman styling, including metal corner guards and high-end damask covers. “The anniversary is a testament to the history of our brand, and the Vintage collection really goes back to Shifman’s roots but with upgraded designs and fabrics for 2013,” said President Bill Hammer. A 120th anniversary cooperative marketing program is focused on the “quality, value and true craftsmanship” of the product line and includes a four-page mailer with text about the “Shifman difference,” as well as a radio ad and other elements.

Magniflex

Marco Magni with Magnigel mattress and pillowPrato, Italy-based Magniflex introduced a half-dozen new models to its collection of all-foam bedding. Several were designed to appeal to North American tastes with higher profiles and plush feels. The new top bed, Dualcomfort Anniversary, honors the company’s 50 years in business. Retailing for $3,999, it offers sleeping partners individualized comfort and has traditional styling with a tape-edge, quilted panel and 12-inch profile. Magniflex also added two Duogel models with proprietary Magnigel to its lineup. Magnigel is a swirled-gel memory foam with superior heat-dissipating properties and breathability, said Marco Magni, global sales director. The 10-inch and 11-inch mattresses retail for $2,300 and $2,900.

Upcoming markets

Las Vegas Market
Jan. 28-Feb. 1
World Market Center
Las Vegas

High Point Market
April 20-25
International Home Furnishings Center & other locations
High Point, N.C.

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