It was a bedding boom. And it was a welcome one.
The mattress category, hoping to shake off three years of lackluster business, enjoyed a robust market in Las Vegas that featured a bevy of new products and promotions and was buoyed by strong traffic.
Several exhibitors described traffic as the best they had seen in years, a welcome change from Covid-19-impacted markets that saw lighter traffic than normal. Spirits were high in bedding showrooms across the market.
The January market again saw major introductions in mattress and sleep accessories showrooms as the industry gears up for what it is hoping will be a growth year.
“Everybody is getting excited,” said Josh Fenner, Sealy’s director of marketing.
Retailers were excited to see the new Sealy Posturepedic line, which features an all-new spring unit, a new color scheme and a sharpened merchandising story, Fenner said. “The reaction has been phenomenal — over the moon,” he noted. “Retailers say they are anxious to get these stunning new beds on their floors.”
Traffic was also strong in the Beautyrest and Serta showrooms, where several new products — and two big anniversaries — were in the spotlight.
Tim Oakhill, chief marketing officer for Serta Simmons Bedding, described traffic as “the strongest in years.” He said retailers followed up on SSB’s significant product launches last year by expanding their commitments to SSB brands.
The flagship Beautyrest brand, which saw two new lines introduced this year, is celebrating its 100th anniversary, which Oakhill called “a monumental milestone” for the brand. In the Serta showroom, officials were celebrating 25 years of the iconic Serta Counting Sheep.
Paramount Sleep was celebrating its 90th anniversary and will be offering special promotions and Special Edition anniversary beds throughout the year.
“This is the best traffic I’ve seen in years,” said Richard Fleck, Paramount’s president. “There is a lot of positive energy in the business.”
Shifman Mattresses celebrated the company’s founding in 1893 with a high-end line that officials said is a tribute to the company’s history. The three 1893 beds feature natural, U.S.-grown cotton and wool and more than 3,000 individually wrapped coils, with retails all above $10,000.
“Traffic is very strong,” said Bill Hammer, Shifman’s president. “We are getting an incredible reaction to what we’ve achieved with the look of our showroom and the upgrade of our product lines.”
Therapedic CEO Gerry Borreggine liked what he saw in his showroom. “The big guys were back and were actively seeking and buying new products in a big way,” he said, calling it his company’s best market in the past three years.
Therapedic’s introduction of five new island-inspired Tommy Bahama mattresses, retailing from $1,199 to $2,999, was a hit. ‘We had a great response to the Tommy Bahama beds,” Borreggine said.
“This market is the strongest it’s been in years, and we’ve seen that firsthand with the growing interest in our Helix retail program and private-label business,” said John Merwin, CEO of 3Z Brands, a manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and direct-to-consumer distributor of a growing portfolio of sleep brands. “With this momentum, we’re focused on strengthening partnerships, delivering even more value to our customers and driving innovation — setting the stage for a successful year ahead.”
“Our market was the most positive market we’ve had since the company was founded,” he added.
Eugene Alletto, CEO of Bedgear, which was founded in 2009 and made its first Las Vegas showing in 2011, said, “Not only were the retailers looking for innovation in product, but they were certainly focused on the in-store experience and marketing as well. They were also very focused on the brand and were not looking to just buy another item. Instead, they were looking to hear the story and understand it.”
Bedgear came to Las Vegas with 40 introductions.
“We heard there was a need in the industry for more innovation and less of the same materials being used throughout all products,” Alletto said. “We were in a very good position to take advantage of this trend since we had our largest introduction of products across multiple product categories.”
Symphony Sleep, which introduced a high-tech adjustable bed base featuring sonic massage, enjoyed a “really good” market, said John Schulte, president of Innovative Sleep Technologies, which operates the Symphony Sleep brand. “We had some big accounts come in who we haven’t had the opportunity to see before.”
South Bay International, which introduced four mattress lines designed to help retailers better merchandise their floors, was busy. “This looks like the start of the comeback,” said Toby Konetzny, CEO. “People are coming in for a reason. They want to see what’s new to revitalize their business.”
