The mattress market generally met industry expectations on the official opening day of the Las Vegas Market.
Exhibitors at this bedding-rich market, with almost 100 mattress and sleep accessories companies on the roster, said they came to Las Vegas with modest expectations for the summer market, traditionally a quieter market than the January event, where major mattress programs are launched.
While business has shown some flashes of encouragement in recent months, the housing market remains lackluster, as does consumer sentiment. And uncertainty surrounding the nation’s tariff policies has contributed to a challenging business climate, exhibitors said.
Still, exhibitors found a number of positives as the industry moves deeper into its key summer selling season.
“The industry seems to be moving in a more positive direction,” said Brent Pfister, senior vice president of brand management and product development at Tempur Sealy International. “We are cautiously optimistic, and we are going to keep working very hard to drive traffic to our retail partners.”
Retailers who are winning in the current business climate seem to be those who are leveraging upper-funnel advertising that helps spark interest in the category, offer solutions to consumer sleep challenges and who avoid the temptation to seek “quick wins at low price points,” Pfister noted.
Therapedic CEO Gerry Borreggine said his team members had “good meetings” in their showroom. “Business has been better recently,” he observed. “The industry is moving forward from the uncertainty of the tariffs.”
Therapedic was sparking excitement at market with a Tommy Bahama mattress in a box retailing at $1,499, an indication, Borreggine said, that boxed beds need not be confined to promotional price points.
At Naturepedic, a producer of organic mattresses and sleep accessories, the company’s distinctive product line is a selling point, said Arin Schultz, chief growth officer.
“The timing of this market is right for us,” he said. “When sales are slow, retailers look to refresh their floors. We offer unique products. We are pretty happy with the market so far.”
Magniflex was touting its new four-model MagniStretch Pillow Collection, which features the same health benefits as its MagniStretch mattresses. Marco Magni, president, said the July market is a good time to focus on sleep accessories, while the January market sees a major focus on mattress launches.
Englander brought two new latex mattresses to the market, extending its latex line to a dozen models.
“Traditionally the July Las Vegas Market is a quieter market for product introductions,” said Lou Paige, Englander’s CEO. “We took this opportunity to expand our successful latex assortment. The retail reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. Our beds offer a luxurious feel that provides comfort and support at price points not expected in the category.”
The new latex models retail at $1,949 and at $2,249 in queen.
Spring Air CEO Nick Bates said his company came to Las Vegas with “plenty of appointments,” and added that Spring Air’s focus on digital marketing strategies is helping its dealers prepare for better times ahead. “We are working with a lot of great retailers on the path forward,” he said. “We are already planning for the January market, which we believe will be really strong.”
HealthGuard’s Ryan Cleary, vice president of sales, described the market as a case of “quality over quantity. The majority of traffic walking by our space consisted of industry people. The number of buyers was down, but when they are here, they are here for a purpose.”
At Symphony Sleep, John Schulte, president, said he saw encouraging signs in his showroom.
“The retailers we addressed do feel there is an upswing in business,” he said. “They see some positive momentum. The perception is that some trade deals are done and people are looking for reasons to be optimistic.”
Added Paramount’s Richard Fleck, president: “The quality of retailers visiting our space was positive.” Paramount helped draw retailers to its space with an educational seminar, an example of the kind of activities exhibitors need to do to spark traffic, he said.
