Independent mattress and futon maker Gold Bond is well positioned for success as choppy trade waters buffet the mattress industry.
While tariffs impact supply chains across the bedding landscape, Gold Bond stands out with its commitment to American-made raw materials, one that has characterized the company for years and is particularly significant in the current economic climate.
“We use 100% American-made raw materials,” says Bob Naboicheck, Gold Bond’s third-generation CEO. “All the tariff chaos is actually helping to grow our business because our customers can rely on us to deliver and to keep our pricing stable. With a completely domestic supply chain featuring Leggett & Platt and Carpenter, durable, value-added product and personalized customer service, our message is resonating extremely well in the marketplace.”
In addition, Gold Bond primarily serves independent dealers and mom-and-pop retailers, types of retailers that it says are less likely to be reliant on imported goods and are thus in a better position to weather import headwinds.
Naboicheck presses Gold Bond’s advantages by pursuing a punishing travel schedule, one that targets retail sales associates.
“Retailers are looking for real solutions and ways to stand out in their marketplaces, and we continue to see an opportunity in exceptional sales training for RSAs,” Naboicheck said. “I’m constantly on the road with our salespeople conducting sales training in the stores and actually working with the shoppers. We are continually helping RSAs educate their customers about why our products are superior and longer lasting, and that pays off.”
Also paying off is Gold Bond’s commitment to fast deliveries for its dealers.
“Retailers continue to turn to us because they can depend on us for quick delivery, and they don’t have to keep a lot of inventory,” Naboicheck notes. “Most of our customers give us orders over the weekend, some on Sunday, most on Monday, and everyone will get their delivery within a few days in most of our markets, which is the Northeast corridor into the Upper Midwest.”
Those quick deliveries help lock in mattress sales.
“If a consumer orders a product and they have to wait two or three weeks to get delivery, they have time to rethink their purchase and maybe re-shop,” Naboicheck says. “That can lead dealers to losing the sale in an environment when every door swing counts more than ever. Our retailers need not be concerned about that.”
When it comes to product, Gold Bond stands apart by building in more quality and durability in its products, refusing to reduce specifications to hit key price points, according to Naboicheck.
“Our customers appreciate the fact that we still make some of the most durable, long-lasting products available,” he says. “When they sell a Gold Bond product, they know it will stay sold. We don’t manufacture our mattresses to last 10 years; we manufacture our mattresses to last 15 years, and the majority of what we produce is two-sided. That offers tremendous durability and value to consumers.
“Others may de-spec their products to deal with the current environment,” Naboicheck continues. “We’ve never made a foam-encased mattress, and we never will. We also never put a full-size mattress spring into a queen mattress. We put queen springs into queen mattresses, so the consumer always gets their money’s worth and when the economy is tough, that means more to them than it ever has. In fact, in our new super-premium Private Reserve line, we use 1,950 queen-size coils with the addition of nano coils for a total of 5,200 coils.”
It all adds up to what Naboicheck sees as a year of growth for Gold Bond.
