Adjustable bases, foundations and metal frames could be stars of the upcoming Las Vegas Market–We’ll have to wait and see. Pictured: Reverie semi-sectional adjustable base introduced in 2013.
I can’t wait to attend my 12th straight Las Vegas Market this month to report on news in mattress industry showrooms for the ISPA publications, BedTimes and Sleep Savvy. Well, OK, going to Las Vegas in July isn’t ideal, BUT I’ll get to spend the week indoors rest-testing hundreds of beds!
My relationship with the mattress industry is almost as old as my relationship with my husband—btw, today is our wedding anniversary. A nostalgic mood inspired me to take a quick look back at my first Las Vegas Market as an ISPA employee, in January 2009.
The Great Recession had mattress makers of every stripe focused on the budget-conscious consumer. Even luxury brands introduced or expanded promotional lines. E.S. Kluft and Co. launched lower-priced Studio by Aireloom. Simmons displayed the BeautySleep promotional collection; Therapedic added $299 to $499 opening price points in BackSense with HourGlass support technology.
Here’s a short slideshow from 2009 in Las Vegas:
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- Leggett & Platt’s Della Croft showed us new adjustable bases that operated via your smartphone.
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- Organic Mattresses Inc. launched its OrganicPedic bed brand.
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- Kingsdown created coolness in its Apple Store-inspired Sleep to Live showroom.
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- Therapedic’s Gerry Borreggine touted the features and benefits of affordable, new BackSense beds.
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- E.S. Kluft & Co.’s Earl Kluft personally introduced a more moderately priced Aireloom Studio collection.
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- Latex International promoted the use of latex in every layer of the bed.
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- I got to meet actress Jane Seymour who partnered with South Bay International on the launch of her mattress and pillow collection.
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- Eclipse International promoted many “green” features in its mattresses, including ticking with organic cotton yarns.
Concurrently, a “green” movement continued to flower. At the January 2009 show, Organic Mattresses Inc. debuted, showcasing its OrganicPedic collection of latex beds manufactured in a GOTS-certified facility. Many other mattress manufacturers touted a host of “green” claims, from polyurethane foams that contained a portion of bio-based content derived from soybean oil, to natural wool FR barriers, to ticking containing organic cotton yarns.
There was much memory-foam talk—but no gel foams, as yet. Latex was becoming a popular ingredient in better beds. The latex mattress brand Pure LatexBLISS launched; latex supplier Latex International touted new Rejuvenite pillows for consumers and mattress makers began adding latex layers as cushioning on innerspring beds.
Pillows and other sleep accessories were a big topic in 2009, and they have remained so.
Kingsdown was a show trendsetter with its Apple Store-inspired showroom featuring bright-white minimalist design, Sleep to Live technology, pillows, nifty gadgets and cool signage.
At the upcoming July 27-31 Las Vegas Market, the editors of BedTimes and Sleep Savvy expect to see:
- More news with technology twists,
- As well as line extensions, POP, pillows and accessories news–of course;
- PLUS lots of under-the-mattress news–adjustable bases, metal frames and mattress foundations; and news in kids’ sleep products.
If your sleep products company is showing in Las Vegas and has news to share with the readers of BedTimes and Sleep Savvy magazines, email [email protected].
And stay tuned to BedTimes and Sleep Savvy, online and in print. We’ll report during Las Vegas Market and afterward–on all the details.
