All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles

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All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
BedTimes
THE BUSINESS JOURNAL FOR THE SLEEP PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
                                                                 NOVEMBER 2009

All dressed up
      Mattress fabrics play many roles

                                                       Your guide to the ISPA Industry
                                                             Conference & Exhibition
                                                                    Fall Vegas market
                                                                    is all about value
                                                                  Leadership Lessons:
                                                                   How to build trust
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
Cutting Edge

                Technology

                                            OPTIONS
                                            • Model 1367 Motorized Carousel
                                            • Model 1379990 Additional roll carts
                                            • Model 1379835 Additional stacker carts

                                                                                     Additional stacker                             Additional roll carts available
                                                                                     carts available                                Model 1379990
                                                                                     Model 1379835
Touch screen controls                  Electronic
                                       Edge Guiding System

                                                                                                                                     SPECIFICATIONS
                                                                                                                                     Voltage (v/ph/hz)                        220V 1PH 50/60HZ
                                                                                                                                     Current (amps)                                     30
                                                                                                                                     Air pressure (psi)                                 80
                                                                                                                                     Air consumption (cfm)                              5
                                                                                                                                     Shipping Weight (lbs)                            5,000
                                                                                                                                     Shipping Dimensions (w/l/h, In.)
                                                                                                                                        Roll Holder                                121 x 35 x 40
                                                                                                                                        Infeed                                     143 x 94 x 96
                                                                                                                                        Main Unit                                  160 x 68 x 96

                                                                                                                                     PRODUCTION                           55 Watt            100 Watt
                                                                                                                                     FR Queen Panels per min.                5.5                8.0
                                                                                                                                                   Minutes 8 hours           480                   480
                                                                                                                                               Minutes unload / load         - 96                  - 96
                                                                                           Motorized Carousel                                      Minutes Run time          394                 394
         Model 1379D - 55 watt                                                                    Model 1367                                       Panels per minute        x 5.5               x 8.0

         Model 1379D100 - 100 watt                                                                                                                    pieces per shift      2167                3152

                                                                                                                                   Conforms to all safety regulations dictated by the FDA

                Website:           www.atlatt.com                                     email:         sales@atlatt.com
                                            The   Sudden Service™ Company
                This equipment is protected by one or more of the following patents:                                                                      Atlanta Attachment Company
                US patents: 4,280,421; 4,432,294; 4,466,367; 4,644,883; 5,134,947; 5,159,889; 5,203,270; 5,522,332; 5,524,563; 5,562,060;                 362 Industrial Park Drive
                5,634,418; 5,647,293; 5,657,711; 5,743,202; 5,865,135; 5,899,159; 5,915,319; 5,918,560; 5,979,345; 6,035,794; 6,055,921;                  Lawrenceville, GA 30045
                6,202,579; 6,279,869; 6,295,481; 6,494,255; 6,802,271; 6,574,815 B2; 6,834,603 B1; 6,968,794 B1
                Foreign patents: 9-520,472; 0,537,323; 92,905,522.6; 96,936,922.2; 2,076,379; 2,084,055.
                                                                                                                                                          (770) 963-7369 • FAX (770) 963-7641
                Other U.S. and Foreign Patents Pending. Copyright 2009 Atlanta Attachment Co.                                08112010609
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
Laser Cutter - Cuts all Non-wovens

High Speed
Cuts all Non-wovens
3000+ Pieces per Shift*
•   Round, mitered or square corners
•   Inner panels, foundations, single-sided
    mattress bottoms and dust covers
                                                                          Buying Costly
•   Inventory roll goods only, up to 30” dia.                             Pre-cut Panels!
•   Reduce number of SKU’s
•   Fully automatic operation
•   Download schedule to laser                                       Video Available!
•   Windows XP operating system                                www.atlatt.com
•   Touch screen interface
                                                                      Or contact sales
•   Never run out of any panel size
                                                                       to request a CD
•   Cuts panels continually, no lunch or breaks
•   Auto stacks panels
•   Operator can easily create and save styles from simple menu driven software
•   Quick and easy on-screen order set-up
•   All units are supplied with 1 stacker cart and 1 roll cart
•   1 Year Warranty

* Production based on 100 watt laser, queen size panels and most common non-woven material.
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
During the Great Depression, many people stuffed their mattresses with their life savings to
   protect the family fortunes. Today, your fortunes depend on what goes into your bedding
          as well. That is why Hickory Springs provides not just one, but four exceptional
               foams formulated to give you and your customers the gold standard for bedding
                 quality and performance. The newest member of our foam family is Talalay
 CertiPUR-US      latex from Latex International, a balanced blend of synthetic and natural
                      CM

                 rubber designed with luxury and comfort in mind.
   W                      S
       WW
            .CERTIPUR.U

For more details about how Hickory Springs foams can help you increase your
fortune without costing you one, call (828) 328-2201 or visit www.hickorysprings.com           PO Box 128 • Hickory, NC 28603
                                                                                                       (800) 438-5341
                                                                                                     ©2007-2009 Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
InSide
NOV 2009

                                            Features

                                            14 Ticking trends
                                            The textiles used to upholster mattresses and foundations help to improve the
                                            comfort and performance of today’s bed sets and attract the consumer’s eye in the
                                            store. BedTimes looks at trends in this important category.

                                            25 Value-driven market
                                            Mattress manufacturers were eager to tout their value products during the fall
                                            Las Vegas Market, showing off beds with lower price points but still loaded with
                                            features. BedTimes also found foam innovations, a continued emphasis on “green”
                                            bedding and steady growth in accessories such as pillows and mattress pads.

                                             Departments

                                            7 Leadership Lessons                       5 Editor’s Note
                                            People won’t follow leaders they don’t
                                            trust. Leadership guru Larry Wilson
                                            says trusting yourself is an important
                                                                                       33 Industry News
                                            step in building the trust of others.
                                                                                       74 Newsmakers
                                            9 Company Profile
                                            Natura World, a manufacturer of            76 Calendar
                                            organic and natural bedding based
                                            in Canada, is in the midst of an
                                            aggressive expansion that includes
                                                                                       77 ISPA News
                                            acquisitions, new production facilities
                                            and a broad social media marketing         78 Advertisers Index
                                            campaign.
                                                                                       79 Classifieds
                                            47 ISPA Industry Conference
                                            BedTimes gives you a complete guide
                                            to the annual event, held this year        80 The Last Word
                                            Nov. 4-6 in Bonita Springs, Fla. You’ll
                                            find schedules, information about
                                            exhibitors and sponsors, plus insights
                                            from conference speakers about con-
                                            sumer trends, social media marketing,
                                            going “green” and creating an exciting
                                            retail experience.

           www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
                                                                                                 BedTimes | November 2009 |   3
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
This little piggy saved money,
                                                   used technology to save the environment,
                                                   had a cleaner, safer plant
                                                   and cried “Wee wee wee!”
                                                   all the way home.

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can really do all that. Yes, really.
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understands that quality, service and cost are             system can save you money!
requirements of top bedding producers. SABA’s water-       l    Enjoy 20 to 50% reduction in adhesive costs
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        “   Since we began working with SABA our
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                                                           E sales@saba-adhesives.com
            can now track our costs and make adjust-       W www.saba-adhesives.com
            ments faster. We also don’t have all the
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                ding industry.

                            Shaun Pennington
                                                                           SABA, dedicated to foam bonding
                 		         General Manager
                 		         Diamond Mattress Co.                            Est. 1933: 76 years of strong bonds
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
EDITOR IN CHIEF
             Julie A. Palm
                                                    Editor’sNote
                                                    Will you have the next
            336-727-1889
       jpalm@sleepproducts.org

                                                    big idea in bedding?
           SENIOR WRITER
             Barbara Nelles
              336-856-8973

                                                    I
       bnelles@sleepproducts.org
                                                        nnovation—big idea innovation—             from whom they can learn.”
            CONTRIBUTORS                                can transform your company. It                What do those traits have in com-
              Patricia Frank                            can create an entirely new product         mon? They all stem from inquisitiveness.
           Lin Grensing-Pophal                      category, open markets, increase your             “I spent 20 years studying great
           Dorothy Whitcomb                         profits or take you from a niche player        global leaders and that was the big
               Larry Wilson                         to a well-known brand name.                    common denominator. It’s the same
                                                        That’s serious business. But two re-       kind of inquisitiveness you see in small
            ART DIRECTOR                            searchers say that innovation starts with      children,” Gregersen says.
           Stephanie Belcher                        a free-flowing, almost childlike mind.            ”If you look at 4-year-olds, they are
             336-201-7475                               In a recent post on the Har-               constantly asking questions and wonder-
       stephanie@jimmydog.com                       vard Business Review blog                      ing how things work. But by the time
                                                    (http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org),            they are 6 ½ years old, they stop asking
    Vice President of Sales                         Editor Bronwyn Fryer hosted a ques-            questions because they quickly learn that
             Kerri Bellias                          tion-and-answer session with Jeff Dyer,        teachers value the right answers more
            336-945-0265                            the Horace Beesley Professor of Strategy       than provocative questions. High school
     kbellias@sleepproducts.org                     at the Marriott School at Brigham              students rarely show inquisitiveness,”
                                                    Young University, and Hal Gregersen,           Gregersen says. “And by the time they’re
        Ad Production &
                                                    affiliate professor of leadership at the       grown up and are in corporate settings,
     CIRCULATION manager
                                                    global Insead business school.                 they have already had the curiosity
           Debbie Robbins
                                                        Dyer and Gregersen conducted a             drummed out of them. Eighty percent of
            336-342-4217
                                                    six-year study of “innovators’ DNA,”           executives spend less than 20% of their
     drobbins@sleepproducts.org
                                                    surveying 3,000 executives and follow-         time on discovering new ideas.”
             COPY EDITOR                            ing up with 500 individual interviews.            You probably have innovators in
           Margaret Talley-Seijn                    They explore the topic further in an           your company and they may not be who
                                                    article in the upcoming December issue         you think. Dyer says there are many
                                                    of the Harvard Business Review.                “discovery-driven” people who are re-
            BedTimes deadlines                          Dyer tells HBR that they have dis-         luctant to ask questions, try experiments
   Editorial deadlines for the Industry             covered five key skills that distinguish       or brainstorm ideas because they worry
     News and Newsmakers sections                   innovators from other executives or            about looking dumb or don’t believe
   of the January issue of BedTimes are             managers: “The first skill is what we call     their company values such initiative.
              Monday, Dec. 1.
                                                    ‘associating.’ It’s a cognitive skill that        To unleash innovative ideas, it might
                                                    allows creative people to make connec-         be time to encourage people in your
 Volume 137 Number 11
                                                    tions across seemingly unrelated ques-         company to discover their inner child. BT
 BedTimes (ISSN 0893-5556) is published
 monthly by the International Sleep Products        tions, problems or ideas. The second
 Association. Periodicals postage paid at           skill is questioning—an ability to ask
 Alexandria, Va., and additional mailing offices.
 Editorial and advertising offices
                                                    ‘what if,’ ‘why’ and ‘why not’ questions
 126 Parkview Lane, Reidsville, NC 27320            that challenge the status quo and open
 Phone 703-683-8371; Fax 703-683-4503
                                                    up the bigger picture. The third is the
 Administrative and ISPA offices
 501 Wythe St., Alexandria, Va. 22314-1917          ability to closely observe details, particu-
 Phone 703-683-8371; Fax 703-683-4503               larly the details of people’s behavior. An-
 Postmaster Send address changes to                 other skill is the ability to experiment—
 BedTimes, 501 Wythe St., Alexandria, Va.
 22314-1917                                         the people we studied are always trying
 Contents © 2009 by the                             on new experiences and exploring new
 International Sleep Products                       worlds. And finally, they are really good
 Association. Reprint permission
 obtainable through BedTimes.                       at networking with smart people who
                                                    have little in common with them, but                       Julie A. Palm
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
                                                                                                              BedTimes | November 2009 |   5
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
LeadershipLessons
Being a leader means building trust
It also requires
developing
a thick skin
By Larry Wilson

H
         ow many times have you
         awakened in a cold sweat wor-
         rying about a question that
you wanted—or maybe didn’t want—
answered? Here’s one that has kept me
up on more than one occasion: “Am I
really a good leader? Do people want
to follow me or are they just pretend-
ing to follow because they think they        ➤ They need to trust your inten-         significant ways any leader can earn
have to?”                                    tion Do you really have their best       trust from others, if—and it’s a big
    Here’s the thing: Leading isn’t for      interests at heart? Do you really        if—you’re also willing to ask your
the thin skinned. Just the opposite:         care?                                    followers to provide their honest
It requires the thick skin we all have,      ➤ They need to trust your compe-         feedback about you.
yet might not have discovered. When          tence Are you able or skillful enough       If you’re in a cold sweat just
you’re really leading, you’ll constantly     to do the tasks you’re responsible for   thinking about asking your follow-
discover your thick skin while learning      doing? Are you up for the job?           ers such questions, it’s time to check
more about yourself.                         ➤ They need to trust your pro-           your skin’s thickness.
    We have to learn to trust ourselves      priety Do you behave in ways that           Pinch yourself. You do have the
before we can expect others to trust us.     people expect you to behave in any       right stuff and deserve the title of
It’s only when others believe and trust      given situation? Do you portray the      leader because you’re willing to
us that they will follow us. Earning         values, decency and morality they        change and grow. Believe that you
trust is the starting point for any leader   expect from any leader?                  do have the thick skin necessary to
who expects others to be ready, willing         It’s here where you need that         do the job, because you do. You can
and able to follow him. What is trust?       thick skin. Are you tough enough to      withstand the growing pains and
    There are numerous ways to define        answer these questions truthfully?       you can withstand the heat because
trust. I think of trust as the glue that     Can you look into a mirror and           you are a leader. Believe in yourself
keeps relationships connected or, in the     objectively evaluate your leader-        and others will follow. BT
absence of trust, disconnected. Lead-        ship performance on a 1-to-10 scale
ers can’t afford to have disconnected        against these criteria? And, if you                            Larry Wilson is a
relationships.                               can, are you tough enough to share                             pioneer in change
    What is it about you that others         your evaluations with the people                               management, lead-
have to trust before they want to follow     you hope will follow you?                                      ership development
you? When I was chief executive officer         This means using your thick skin                            and strategic think-
of Wilson Learning Corp., we had a           to share with them your thin skin—                             ing. He has founded
group of Ph.D.s who were focused on          the mistakes, failures and behaviors     the Wilson Learning Corp., Pecos River
studying trust.                              you know are holding you back from       Learning and The Wilson Collabora-
    They determined that the word            being the leader they want you to be.    tive. Wilson works with companies to
“trust” is too broad to be properly de-         This last toughness test—objec-       help them “create the organization that,
fined as only one concept. They came         tively sharing evaluations of your       if it existed, would put them out of busi-
up with three separate beliefs people        leadership—is called self-disclosure.    ness.” His clients include major mattress
need to have about you before they’re        Self-disclosure is powerful. Being       manufacturers and retailers. He can be
ready to follow you:                         willing to open up is one of the most    reached at larry.wilson@mac.com.

www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
                                                                                                 BedTimes | November 2009 |   7
All dressed up - BedTimesNOVEMBER 2009 - Mattress fabrics play many roles
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           THINK GREENER       SAVE THE PLANET
CompanyProfile
Natura World sets itself on path for growth
Acquisition of gel company, U.S. expansion are part of plan
By Dorothy Whitcomb

N
        atural and organic bedding
        manufacturer Natura World
        is using acquisitions, innova-
tive marketing tools and expanded
production and distribution as part of
a strategic push to take command of
the “green” specialty bedding market
it helped to pioneer.
    The 15-year-old, privately held
company says that it has had annual
double-digit growth since its found-
ing and reports that sales of Natura
products increased 40% in 2008. This
year’s sales are on
track to meet or sur-
pass that number,
says Ralph Ross-
deutscher, president
                                                                                  (Above) Heading south Natura World’s
and co-founder                                                                    production is based in Cambridge, Ontario.
of the Cambridge,                                                                 The company is planning to open an
Ontario-based                                                                     additional facility in the United States.
company.
    “Now is the                                                                   (Left) Corporate culture The company’s new
                                                                                  headquarters includes a lounge to promote
perfect time to grow                                                              informal interaction among employees.
because you’re able
to get good people
and bankers (in Canada) are very sup-    buying groups, which provide access          Natura recently acquired the
portive,” he says.                       to mom-and-pop stores and less           rights to manufacture and license gel
                                         urban markets. In the United States,     mattresses from NexGel, a Salt Lake
Expansion plans                          products are sold primarily through      City manufacturer, and will do so
Rapid growth prompted the com-           sleep shops and furniture stores.        under the name Gel Solutions in the
pany to more than triple its manu-           “Forty percent of current annual     United States and Gelatex Solutions in
facturing space last year. In March      sales come from within Canada,”          Canada.
2008, all production moved from          Klein says. “The Canadian business           The purchase, and a recently signed
a 42,000-square-foot factory into a      is up significantly, but shrinking       licensing agreement with The Sharper
new 141,000-square-foot facility. The    overall because business in the U.S.     Image, has accelerated the search for
move makes Natura “the largest mat-      (now 60% of total sales) is growing so   a U.S. facility, says Scott Miller, senior
tress and bedding manufacturer in        rapidly.”                                vice president of U.S. sales.
Canada,” says Larry Klein, senior vice       Rapid U.S. growth propelled              Natura also is developing an inter-
president.                               Natura’s recent decision to open a       national distribution network. Michael
   Natura sells its products, which      manufacturing facility in the United     Pino, international director of sales,
include foam and latex mattresses, as    States. The company has not settled      has been working for more than a year
well as a wide array of sleep acces-     on a site, but Rossdeutscher wants it    to increase Natura’s global presence.
sories, throughout Canada and the        to be located “as far from Toronto as    Prior to his arrival, the company sold
United States. Distribution channels     possible.” Sites in the Southeast and    product through one retailer in Kuwait.
in Canada include large retailers and    Southwest are being considered.              The company now has distribution

www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
                                                                                              BedTimes | November 2009 |       9
CompanyProfile

in several Caribbean countries and will                                                says. “The second time it’s seen as
open a Natura-branded store in Kuwait      ‘The corporate culture                      pretty silly. We want to make sure that
City in December. Because the organic                                                  all mistakes stop at the door. We build
market as a whole is less developed           is very important                        customer loyalty by getting the prod-
outside North America and Europe, the                                                  uct out correctly and on time.”
company is targeting countries such as       to us. We want to                             Employee loyalty is built by creat-
Australia and Morocco.                                                                 ing an atmosphere that encourages
                                             be a friendly, nice                       individual contributions but also
‘Green’ guidelines                                                                     camaraderie. A staff lounge, com-
Natura has been a leader in industry         company to work                           plete with a billiards table, promotes
efforts to quantify and define terms                                                   relaxed interaction. Flowers are sent
such as “natural,” “green” and “or-         with and you have to                       to the homes of new hires to show
ganic,” and Rossdeutscher has been                                                     families that the company thinks
involved in the Specialty Sleep As-              start that at                         they’re important, too. After five years
sociation’s recent effort to define such                                               of service, employees are sent on an
words.                                      home with everyone                         all-expenses paid tropical vacation.
   “Consumers should be able to                                                            “The corporate culture is very
compare products easily,” he says. “Ev-         getting along.’                        important to us,” Rossdeutscher
ery company, big or small, needs to be                                                 says. “We want to be a friendly, nice
measured against the same criteria.”       accessories, including comforters and       company to work with and you have
   Natura has taken its own steps to       duvets, bed linens, pillows, aromather-     to start that at home with everyone
define what it means by natural and        apy sprays and pet beds.                    getting along.”
organic. The company now measures              Some of Natura’s most interesting           Innovative informality extends
“the natural content of every mattress     and profitable innovations have come        to the company’s current market-
by weight” and posts the data on its       in the accessory arena. The company         ing efforts. Natura has been making
Web site and point-of-purchase mate-       recently modified encapsulation             extensive use of social media, includ-
rials, Rossdeutscher says.                 technology used in Japan to incorpo-        ing Twitter, Facebook and “mom
   Natura mattresses and sleep acces-      rate anti-cellulite cream into women’s      bloggers”—mothers who host online
sories are now categorized into five       stockings so that it could be used to       support and information communi-
groups: the Organic, Natural, Ultra-       put aloe extract into pillow covers.        ties. The innovations are the work of
Green and Green collections. The               Accessories can help close the gap      Julia Rosien, a communications direc-
company’s memory foams are in a            in sales as consumers economize on          tor who was hired for her social media
collection called Mixed Greens.            mattress purchases.                         expertise.
   Miller says the new NexGel prod-            “If retailers can convince custom-          “When I first came to the company,
ucts fit well with the Natura brand        ers that the pillows they’re carrying       we were buying ads on Google and
because they use “70% food-grade           around to test the beds are an impor-       about half of the traffic to our Web
mineral oil, BioH foam and natural         tant part (of a good night’s sleep), they   site came from those ads. I canceled
ingredients.”                              can get back up to the ticket price they    the ads and now we can directly
   “It also brings leadership in an        need to stay in business,” Klein says.      correlate 60% of the traffic to social
emerging category of specialty sleep                                                   media. That’s up from zero and we’re
products by providing superior pres-       ‘Innovative informality’                    not paying for it,” Rosien says.
sure relief, comfort and support,”         Innovation and seeing sleep as a mul-           Rossdeutscher acknowledges
Miller adds.                               tidimensional activity are important        that the four-employee start-up
                                           parts of the Natura corporate culture.      he founded with his father, Harry
Accessories aren’t add-ons                 Weekly team meetings, which include         Rossdeutscher, in 1994 has come a
Sales of sleep accessories such as         employees from all parts of the             long way.
sheets and sound machines represent        business, focus on product develop-             But if the company’s size and scope
about 45% of Natura’s annual sales.        ment. Another morning each week is          has changed, its goals and values have
   “From the beginning of our com-         devoted to reviewing “Don’t Screw up        not, he insists.
pany, we always thought everything         Again” reports. These reports chroni-           Rossdeutscher says: “I’ve always
should work together and sold each         cle errors of every sort made through-      wanted to be in the forefront of tech-
mattress with a duvet and a pil-           out the company.                            nology and be the first on the block to
low,” Rossdeutscher says. Today the            “If someone makes a mistake, it’s       have the newest and best products on
company offers close to 700 SKUs of        totally forgiven the first time,” Klein     the market.” BT

10 | BedTimes | November 2009                                                                     www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
Dress up                        Mattress fabrics
                                   take on many roles

(Shown on this spread) Plush panels Maxime Knitting is producing thicker, heavier fabrics, including SuperStretch (left) and
bamboo (right).

14 | BedTimes | November 2009                                                                                         www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
By Barbara Nelles

W
                hether you call them “mattress fabrics” or just       Lorne Romoff, vice president of sales for Montreal-based
                plain “ticking,” the textiles used to upholster       Maxime Knitting. “We are knitting thicker, heavier fabrics in
                mattresses and foundations are a vital part of the    silvers, baby blues and other soft tones. The bedding floor is
                marketing—and the comfort and performance—            much more colorful and visual than in the U.S.”
of today’s bed sets.                                                      “On my very first trip to Scandinavia, they looked at my
    In the home, ticking will be covered with bed linens, but it’s    samples and said, ‘Too much color!’ ” says Nebi Dogan, area
what attracts the consumer’s eye at retail.                           sales coordinator for Boyteks, which is based in Kayseri, Turkey.
    Fabrics chosen for each mattress model tell a story on the        “Then I traveled to Morocco, bringing my most colorful fab-
sales floor, suppliers say. They provide visual cues to a bed’s       rics, and they said, ‘Where’s the color?’ ”
price point in relation to other models in a collection. Ticking          “Blues and greens, including turquoise, are very big in
also can tell a story of luxury or “naturalness” or, increasingly,    Turkey right now. Europe remains more soft gray and modern.
functional benefits such as aromatherapy and temperature              In North Africa, dark red and blue jacquards with gold patterns
regulation. In many markets, damask mattress fabric has ceded         are popular on mattresses that are placed right on the floor in
the floor to circular knits. And with knits, it’s easy to stitch in   living rooms for sleeping and as furniture. In South Africa, the
words like “cashmere,” “organic cotton” or “natural,” allowing        taste is very similar to the U.S., in Greece they like ecru cottons
the bed to speak directly to consumers.                               and in Sweden, blues,” Dogan says.
    While innerspring beds remain mostly white, consumers                 “Nontraditional” is how many describe current design
who purchase nontraditional bedding like latex and visco-elas-        motifs.
tic want it to look different, says Adam Lava, vice president of
sales for A. Lava & Son, a cover, quilt and mattress kit supplier
based in Chicago.                                                     ‘Consumers want to look
    “We’ve moved away from that ‘block of yellow cheese look,’ ”
Lava says. “Consumers want to look at their expensive new             at their expensive new
mattress and see beauty. These beds look more like upholstered
furniture.”
    “I had an executive in the perfume industry once tell me
                                                                      mattress and see beauty.
that the box is the most important thing about selling perfume.
And that one damaged box in a display ruins everything—
                                                                      These beds look more like
you’ll sell nothing. I think it’s the same with mattresses, to some
extent. As much care needs to be taken with the outside of the        upholstered furniture.’
bed as with the inside,” says Camilla Franklin, vice president of
global sourcing and design for Blumenthal Print Works, which              “Traditional motifs, such as medallions and scrolls, have
is based in New Orleans.                                              gotten cleaner, more minimalistic and stylized. Large-scale
                                                                      patterns—we call them ‘jumbos’—are popular in Central and
Colorways & design trends                                             South America and are starting to appear in the U.S.,” Pappas
In the United States, most midpriced innerspring bedding is           says.
still very much enrobed in white. But on higher end inner-                The oversized motifs have been around for a while, says
springs, “green” beds and specialty sleep models, you’ll find         Marian Stephenson, design director at Innofa USA in Eden,
more color and design seeping into panels, borders and trim.          N.C. “First it was medallions and now it’s everything—flowers,
    “Black worked and now shades of charcoal and silver are           leaves, etc. In home furnishings we are seeing modern paisleys
very popular. We are seeing little pops of color in chocolates        and ethnic geometrics with sort of African inspiration. It’s
and berry-type colors,” says Steve Bond, vice president of            interesting to watch how and when these interior fabrics reach
design and innovation at Culp Inc., which has headquarters            tickings.”
in High Point, N.C., “And dusty, silvery shades of aubergine,             “We are selling smaller, more delicate prints with nature
lavender and lilac are up and coming.”                                motifs—vines, leaves and smaller flowers, as well as a lot of
    “Bordeaux and turquoise are the trend colors in fashion this      geometrics—in earth tones, greens, roses, silvers and golds,”
season,” says Apollonija Spela Honigsman, research and devel-         says Wade Wallace, vice president of sales for Tietex, a woven
opment manager for Bodet & Horst in Elterlein, Germany.               and nonwoven textile supplier based in Spartanburg, S.C.
    Color schemes of eco-friendly beds tend to be aqua blue/              Honigsman sees a growing “globalization of tastes over the
green and soft sage or moss accent colors, Franklin says.             last 10 years.”
    “Metal tones, such as bronze, stainless steel and a pewtery           “It’s quite amazing,” she says. “We are basically all connect-
look that is almost violet, are combining well with soft back-        ed—in Asia, Australia, Europe, the U.S. As we all tap into the
ground colors and greens are getting bluer,” says Lynn Pappas,        same resources, the trends are becoming very similar with just
product portfolio manager for Bekaert Textiles USA, which has         slight modifications. Something we develop in Europe will be
headquarters in Winston-Salem, N.C.                                   very trendy in Asia, too, though maybe they will want a differ-
    “Here in Canada we’re getting into new colorways,” says           ent color.”

www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
                                                                                                       BedTimes | November 2009 |    15
Advancing technologies
Given the slow global economy, it’s
not surprising that one current trend
in mattress fabrics is affordability.
Suppliers say mattress makers are
buying more 100% polyester fabrics
because of cost concerns.
    But that doesn’t mean mattress
manufacturers are looking only for
less expensive tickings. For higher end
beds, they are seeking luxury fabrics
containing expensive yarns, such as
silk and cashmere or trademarked,
functional yarns like Outlast, Cool-
Max and Celliant.                            Large-scale design This simple, oversized pattern is shown in a zippered cover from Bodet & Horst.
    There’s also a growing market for
eco-friendly fabrics made with cellu-
losic fibers such as cotton, linen, rayon,   reduce the amount of FR fiber needed.
Tencel and bamboo viscose, as well as            Supreme Quilting, a supplier of cov-
fabrics made from polyester yarns spun       ers, quilts and kits, offers an FR solution
from recycled plastic bottles.               in a zippered cover designed to help
    “The entire cellulosic category is       small and midsized mattress producers
increasing because of the comfort factor     hold down FR costs, says Steve Holder,
and people wanting to get away from          vice president of sales and product de-
petroleum products,” says Laura Allred,      velopment for the Etobicoke, Ontario-
the design director of Continental Tick-     based company.
ing in Alamance, N.C.                            Zippered covers—very popular
    In August, Tietex introduced Pure        in Europe—are gaining popularity
Earth, a collection of 100% unbleached       in North America, especially among
natural cotton woven fabrics printed         Internet sellers of foam and latex beds,
with vegetable and mineral dyes for the      Holder says.
mattress borders and top panel.                  “If there is a problem with the
    “When it comes to yarns, it seems        bed’s comfort, the customer can
there is something new each week,”           literally adjust the bed themselves,”
says Eric Delaby, vice president of sales    he says. “The manufacturer can ship
and marketing for Deslee Textiles USA,       a new layer of latex and the customer
based in Inman, S.C. “We’ve used hemp,       can insert it into the bed—preventing               Saving a step Culp Inc.’s textural QuiltFree
kapok, linen, bamboo—all these natural       full product returns.”                              fabric requires no quilting.
yarns—but now there is ‘milk’ and crab           Spacer fabrics are not new, but have
shell, too.”                                 become very trendy on foam beds
    Introduced in Europe earlier this
year, Bekaert recently launched Purotex
in the United States, says Brandon Wells,
vice president of sales and marketing
for Bekaert Textiles USA. The fabric is
imbedded with microencapsulated pro-
biotics to fight odors and allergens.
    Some fabrics help manufacturers
simplify processes or solve problems.
    Bekaert offers a Crypton finish—a
technology that provides a waterproof
barrier and stain protection.
    Culp introduced a border fabric
quilted to FR material this year, says
Mike Cottonaro, senior vice president
of sales and marketing. The company          Soothing tones Blumenthal Print Works is among the suppliers incorporating spalike tones into
also sells a ticking with an “FR adhesive    tickings.
backing” that allows manufacturers to

16 | BedTimes | November 2009                                                                                  www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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Natural fibers Deslee Textiles USA sources organic cotton for its Ecofair fabric.

                                                                                                  Major metals Bekaert Textiles USA is using
                                                                                                  stainless steels, pewters and bronzes that
                                                                                                  blend well with soft background colors, says
                                                                                                  Lynn Pappas, product portfolio manager.

                                                                                                  be found on beds with suggested retail
                                                                                                  prices as low as $399 in queen.
                                                                                                      Once considered difficult to handle
                                                                                                  and quilt, the industry has figured out
                                                                                                  how to work with knits, suppliers say,
                                                                                                  and knits’ share of the market contin-
                                                                                                  ues to grow.
                                                                                                      “On specialty bedding, where you
                                                                                                  want more movement and flexibil-
New hues Innofa USA is including violet hues in new collections with large-scale motifs.          ity, knits work especially well over
                                                                                                  microcoils, air bladders and foams,”
                                                                                                  Delaby says.
because of the promise of a cooler                       Maxime Knitting just introduced its          The overwhelming presence of knits
night’s sleep, suppliers say. The three-              three-dimensional, quilted-look “blis-      is beginning to spark some renewed
dimensional fabrics with vertical                     ter” products.                              interest in high-end jacquards in both
polypropylene fibers come in a range                     “It’s being really well received and     North America and Europe, suppli-
of thicknesses and are used on both                   has super stretch with elastic yarns,”      ers say. But gone are the stiff, scratchy
borders and top panels.                               Romoff says.                                damasks of old. The influence of knits
    Also designed for use on foam beds                   Zoned knits are available from com-      means that jacquards need a soft hand.
are some new knit collections that have               panies including Deslee, Innofa and Bo-         “The comeback is partly due to the
the look and feel of being quilted—                   det & Horst. These fabrics have areas of    vanilla nature of knits,” Cottonaro says,
without the need to quilt.                            greater elasticity in the hip or shoulder   “With jacquards, we can be so much
    Culp’s QuiltFree, introduced a year               regions and work especially well with       more decorative and ornate and the
ago, is a woven border fabric with a sim-             zoned foam cores, suppliers say.            hand is comparable to knits.”
ulated quilted design. For the top panel,                                                             “With wovens, you can achieve a sep-
Culp offers Cumulus, a heavyweight,                   Knits versus wovens                         aration of feel from bed to bed—we’re
quilted-look knit that also requires no               Mattresses at promotional and lower         getting back to that. You can soften or
quilting.                                             price points often are covered with in-     firm it and change the hand, whereas
    At Innofa USA, the two most popu-                 expensive printed fabrics, such as warp     knits tend to all have the same cushiony
lar fabrics are a high-end 100% organic               knits and nonwoven stitchbonds or with      feel when you lie down,” Bond says.
cotton group, and a textured, heavier                 polyester and polypropylene-blend jac-          “It’s human nature to want some-
group that requires no quilting.                      quards. But knits, too, are finding their   thing different,” Allred says. “That’s
    “Some of these are so thick they look             way onto lower priced goods, suppliers      why we’re beginning to go back to Old
like a pillow and they work especially                say. Previously the province of the $999-   World damasks.”
well with foam beds,” Stephenson says.                and-up queen set, knit covers now can           To confuse things further, several

18 | BedTimes | November 2009                                                                                  www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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major suppliers have introduced high-
                                                                                                 end jacquards that use elastic yarns
                                                                                                 and have some of the stretch and look
                                                                                                 of knits. Conversely, there are knitted
                                                                                                 fabrics with the look of wovens.
                                                                                                     “In the last year or two, we have
                                                                                                 responded to customer requests by
                                                                                                 creating knits that have a woven look.
                                                                                                 Some have stretch—perhaps more in
                                                                                                 one direction than another—and some
                                                                                                 are very stable with almost no elastic-
                                                                                                 ity so they cut easily and can be used in
                                                                                                 borders,” Honigsman says.
Bold patterns Nebi Dogan, area sales coordinator for Boyteks, says dark red and blue jacquards       In the United States, Africa and Asia,
with gold patterns are popular in North Africa.                                                  traditional wovens remain on the mar-
                                                                                                 ket because of their affordability and

 Inside designers’ creative process                                                              Dogan says he doesn’t expect that to
                                                                                                 change anytime soon. But knits win the
 Textile designers say they find inspiration everywhere they go and most have a camera           popularity contest in most other parts
 in hand to record what they’re seeing. Some textile suppliers also purchase                     of the world.
 artwork from design studios that their own team then interprets for mattress
 fabrics.                                                                                        Collaborating with customers
      “I do lots of retail research in all areas—from fashion to even thrift stores,”            Ticking suppliers are fond of using the
 says Camilla Franklin, vice president of global sourcing and design at Blumen-                  gift-wrap analogy when they talk about
 thal Print Works in New Orleans. “I constantly take snaps, assembling them in                   their products. But they are quick to
 all different ways. It’s great fun.”                                                            say that ticking does more than adorn
      “I find inspiration in nature, fashion, architecture, at trade shows, while                a bed and draw the eye. A line that has
 shopping. And there are so many trend services, plus, of course, there is the                   been well-merchandised with mattress
 Internet,” says Marian Stephenson, design director at Innofa USA in Eden, N.C.                  fabrics transmits important visual cues
 “My favorite online resources are design blogs, especially Design*Sponge                        to consumers.
 (www.designspongeonline.com) and decor8 (http://decor8blog.com).”                                   “Our customer may tell us they
      Depending on the customer, Franklin says the design process can involve a                  have a six-bed collection starting at
 little or a lot of give-and-take.
                                                                                                 $499 and going up to $1,999,” Bond
                                                                                                 says. “They may say they want a
      “If they’ve got a big design department—some companies have their own
                                                                                                 better border starting at $1,299. And
 interior designers—information and direction flows both ways,” she says.
                                                                                                 that’s our task—to come up with
 “Other customers want us to lead them and that’s a service we offer. We create
                                                                                                 price points and a common theme
 coordinated stories with borders and panels for them.”
                                                                                                 so that when the beds are all lined
      “We observe social trends, too, and marketing trends,” says Lynn Pappas,
                                                                                                 up together, they are cohesive yet
 product portfolio manager for Bekaert Textiles USA, which has headquarters
                                                                                                 you get a visual step-up story.”
 in Winston-Salem, N.C. “(Trend and marketing guru) Robyn Waters is a good
                                                                                                     The covers on specialty beds do
 resource. You listen to the visionaries, read shelter magazines, go to design and
                                                                                                 more than just look good: “Those
 trend presentations. The ‘Sherwin-Williams 2010 Color Forecast’ presented at
                                                                                                 dropped borders and cording visu-
 Showtime (in High Point, N.C.) was great.”
                                                                                                 ally represent on the outside what’s
      When apparel manufacturing moved offshore, Montreal-based Maxime Knit-
                                                                                                 on the inside,” Lava says. “The sales-
 ting took its “expertise and knowledge of fashion trends and colors and brought
                                                                                                 person can point to the cord and
 it into the bedding business,” says Lorne Romoff, vice president of sales.                      say, ‘From here up is your super-soft
      Apollonija Spela Honigsman, research and development manager for Bodet                     memory foam layer and from the
 & Horst, based in Elterlein, Germany, says her company’s design team monitors                   microsuede panel down is your
 numerous sources, including trend books from MoOD (Meet only Original De-                       firm-support foam,’ etc.”
 signs, formerly Decosit Brussels); the Peclers Paris trend agency; the Heimtextil                   Merchandising a bed line is a
 fabric show in Frankfurt, Germany; and Dutch design firm Milou Ket.                             collaborative effort between supplier
      “Many of my inspirations are in upholstery fabrics. I’m drawing on my                      and manufacturer.
 previous experience as an upholstery designer,” says Laura Allred, design direc-                    “We get the ball rolling, but it’s
 tor of Continental Ticking, based in Alamance, N.C. “Over time, I focus on                      very much a give-and-take with our
 the individual customer’s tastes and markets and develop a rapport with that                    customers—you have to be nimble and
 customer so that often, I can intuit and fulfill customer needs before they even                agile because it’s all very customized,”
 verbalize it.”                                                                                  Wells says. “And retailers are much more

20 | BedTimes | November 2009                                                                                www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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involved in the process, too.”                interpret it.”                              and do work for small- to medium-
    “You create visible differences. It’s a      The digitization of production           size customers. Pattern changes are
little bit subjective, but typically the      and design has enabled fabric sup-          easy,” Allred says. “As long as we
simpler patterns are less expensive,”         pliers to easily respond to requests        have the components, we can put it
Stephenson says. “It’s a meeting              for customization and make quick            on the loom and get product out the
of minds between customer and                 changes.                                    door in three to five days.”
designer. They look to us for ideas.             “I’ve got a lot of colors in my             “We provide a lot more exclusives
Sometimes they may have a specific            paint box and the fact that the de-         than in the past,” Bond says. “What
request, but most are designer-driv-          signs are all electronically controlled     we sell to one customer we rarely
en. We listen to what they want and           means we can do really short runs           offer to another.” BT

  Debates along
                                                                    ters in High Point, N.C. “Borders are finally getting the
                                                                    respect they deserve—we’re seeing movement toward
                                                                    better borders.”

  the border
                                                                        Some mattress makers are looking at affordable knits
                                                                    for borders because they want something different, says
                                                                    Marian Stephenson, design director at Innofa USA, based
                                                                    in Eden, N.C. “Knits are a little more difficult to work
 Typically, ticking suppliers offer manufacturers two grades of     with because of the stretch, but a contrasting textured
 fabric: border and panel.                                          knit on the side will create a better match with a knit top
     Today, most single-sided bed sets sold in North Amer-          panel.”
 ica have a less expensive jacquard or sometimes a warp                 “We are in the packaging business and the border
 knit on the border panels and a pricier knit or damask on          needs to be finished perfectly. It’s the final touch,” says
 the top panel.                                                     Eric Delaby, vice president of sales and marketing for
     Suppliers say the use of less expensive border fabrics         Deslee Textiles USA in Inman, S.C. Deslee promotes knit
 is a cost-saving measure—the result of higher manufac-             borders for “an upholstery look.”
 turing costs associated with FR solutions, rising raw mate-            “A tightly constructed chenille, for instance, creates a
 rials prices and the popularity of circular knits, which are       very sturdy no-slip border and a great look,” Delaby says.
 less stable as border fabric.                                          “Achieving an upholstered look on the border with
      Many mattress manufacturers use a common bor-                 stretchy knits has been done but requires revamping your
 der across entire collections—sometimes across entire              manufacturing process,” says Laura Allred, the design
 brands—which allows them to save even more money by                director at Continental Ticking, based in Alamance, N.C.
 reducing bed bases to just a handful of SKUs.                      Using some of the new upholstery-style woven tickings is
     “It’s a smart move from a manufacturing point of               a growing trend, she adds.
 view,” says Ann Weaver, vice president of sales and                    “The bed as an upholstered item is a trend that started
 marketing for Lava Textiles USA, with headquarters in              in Europe and Asia, but it’s spreading,” Allred says. “Of
 Gastonia, N.C. “You don’t have to worry about the hand             course you cover it with a sheet, but you don’t use dust
 with border fabrics, so you can spend less and put more            ruffles, so the foundation always stays exposed.”
 money in the top panel of the bed, which is what the                   For moderately priced bedding, Spartanburg, S.C.-
 consumer feels.”                                                   based Tietex launched its printed Edge Border Collection
     However, the use of common border fabrics has lent a           about a year ago.
 certain “sameness” to the retail floor, some fabric suppli-            “Printed ticking is nothing new but we are seeing a
 ers say. They see a countertrend brewing.                          new trend toward printed borders using small, subtle
     “People are definitely beginning to spend a little more        geometrics like herringbone and diamonds or company
 money on borders and are jazzing them up,” says Lorne              logos, words and phrases,” says Wade Wallace, vice
 Romoff, vice president of sales at Maxime Knitting in              president of sales for the woven and nonwoven textile
 Montreal.                                                          supplier. “The prints can be coordinated to complement
     “There is some rethinking going on about borders               the accent colors in the top panel.”
 because a better border fabric with some color or design               “If you walk though a retail store, you will see that
 is the best way to get the consumer over to your bed on            the border is as important as the surface—if anything, it’s
 the retail floor—it’s the first thing she sees,” says Brandon      more important,” says Camilla Franklin, vice president of
 Wells, vice president of sales and marketing for Bekaert           global sourcing and design at Blumenthal Print Works,
 Textiles USA, based in Winston-Salem, N.C.                         which has headquarters in New Orleans. “Manufacturers
     “Your first frame of reference on the bedding floor is         need to differentiate among their products, yet I see dif-
 the border,” says Mike Cottonaro, senior vice president            ferent brands with the same borders. The border should
 of sales and marketing at Culp Inc., which has headquar-           be part of your brand.”

22 | BedTimes | November 2009                                                                        www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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MarketReport
Exhibitors emphasize value pricing in Vegas
Foam trends, adjustables and top-of-bed also make news
By Barbara Nelles

T
      raffic at the fall Las Vegas Market
      wasn’t overwhelming and major
      introductions were few. But bed-
ding manufacturers managed to turn
retailer heads with a selection of new
products that combine deluxe features
with value pricing. The “green” story of
the winter market took a back seat to
special price promotions. But green was
not gone—it was much in evidence in
natural latex, polyurethane foams with        Focused on the top Latex International            Advancing adjustables Leggett & Platt’s
bio-based content, sustainable wood           unveiled Pillows for the Body, a line of luxury   Consumer Products Group introduced
                                              mattress toppers in latex and the company’s       ShipShape, a shippable, easy-to-assemble
frames and organic fibers.                                                                      adjustable base aimed at Internet retailers.
                                              temperature-regulating Celsion latex.
    The overall mood among manufac-
turers was one of resolve and cautious        mium range and so on down the line.               a 20-inch wide, memory foam-quilted
optimism.                                         The new Spring Air International              lumbar region that “visibly reinforces
    “We saw it as a very positive sign that   made its Las Vegas debut, presenting              the patented Spinal Sleep Zone System
so many licensees had a good Labor            retailers with special market-only pric-          and reduces any chance of body impres-
Day,” said Ron Passaglia, president and       ing on its reformulated flagship brands:          sions,” said Stuart Carlitz, president of
chief executive officer of mattress licens-   Back Supporter and Chattam & Wells.               the mattress manufacturer and licensing
ing group Restonic. “I foresee jagged im-         “We are positioning ourselves as ‘the         group, which has headquarters in North
provements throughout 2010 and expect         value S brand’, ” said Rick Robinson,             Brunswick, N.J.
to see solid improvement by 2011.”            president of the Boston-based licensing               Affordable luxury was the message
    “I believe consumers with means are       group. “Without the debt burden of the            behind Serta’s rollout of its Trump
finally coming out of their shells,” said     old company, our individual licensees             Home mattress collection. Inspired by
Earl Kluft, president of E.S. Kluft & Co.,    are able to offer retailers fine craftsman-       the over-the-top lifestyle of billionaire
a high-end bed maker with headquar-           ship at incredible values.”                       developer Donald Trump, the beds offer
ters in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. “They            The Back Supporter Value Collec-              ultra-premium gilt and damask eye ap-
are finally beginning to spend again.”        tion with LFK innerspring and foam                peal at retail prices from $799 to $1,499.
    Interestingly, several mattress makers    comfort layers has suggested retail prices            “There are unique components in
announced that—in addition to their           of $399 to $599* for a queen set. The             every model and the price hits a sweet
fall appearance in Las Vegas—they             step-up foam-encased Total Balance                spot,” said Bob Sherman, president of
would be showing at the High Point            collection features damask or knit cov-           the Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based mattress
Market in High Point, N.C., in October.       ers. The Four Seasons has a pocket-coil           maker. “Consumers we interviewed
Some are finding that the Las Vegas           spring unit and premium comfort lay-              can’t believe these beds are not more
Market attracts West Coast, Midwestern        ers, including cashmere.                          expensive.”
and international customers, but fewer            Spring Air’s ultra-premium Chattam                Organic Mattresses Inc., which
from the East and Southeast.                  & Wells line has been repositioned as             made its Las Vegas debut in February,
                                              “more affordable luxury.” Its suggested           introduced the OrganicPedic Sierra
Good buys greet market-goers                  opening retail price point is $1,599 in-          bed, an 8-inch thick, two-sided natural
Mattress makers put significant empha-        stead of its former $2,100. The line tops         latex mattress retailing for $1,595 for the
sis on building more value into their         out at $2,999 instead of $4,999.                  queen mattress or $1,995 for the set.
lineups to help retailers jump-start              At Eclipse, Perfection Rest offered               “It’s $800 less than any other natural
sluggish sales. Suggested retail pricing      the look of luxury with an opening
on what was once considered ultra-            price point of $599 retail for a queen            * Unless otherwise noted, all mattress
premium bedding was often in the pre-         set. Its Zoned Quilt Technology features          prices are suggested retail.

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                                                                                                          BedTimes | November 2009 |       25
MarketReport

                                              grew up during the Depression is we’ve
                                              always understood the importance of
                                              operating debt-free and offering strong
                                              value,” said Bob Naboichek, Gold Bond
                                              president. “Our two-sided mattresses hit
                                              the right price point and consumers get
                                              twice as much bedding for their money.”
                                                  Restonic’s new 7th Heaven Bed—
                                              named in honor of Restonic’s seventh
                                              Consumers Digest Best Buy award—of-
                                              fers “true luxury” at a value price point,
At the upper end Sealy added three Heritage                                                ‘Best Buy’ Restonic’s 7th Heaven Bed was
Series beds to the Stearns & Foster brand.    Passaglia said. The three euro-top beds      named in honor of the company’s seventh
Mark Delahanty, vice president of Sealy       in the collection are foam-encased and       Consumers Digest Best Buy award, said
brands, shows off one of the beds, which      have a microcoil comfort layer. Sug-         Ron Passaglia, Restonic president and chief
have suggested retail prices from $2,999 to   gested retail prices for a queen set are     executive officer. The three beds in the
$3,999.                                                                                    collection are foam-encased and have a
                                              $1,299 and $1,499.
                                                                                           microcoil comfort layer.
                                                  Sealy, which redesigned and repriced
latex mattress out there,” said Walt          its Stearns & Foster brand in February,      bio-based content.
Bader, president and chief executive          went against the tide of lower priced            Simmons put the spotlight on Com-
officer of the Yuba City, Calif.-based        offerings by introducing three Heritage      forPedic Loft, a value-priced extension
mattress manufacturer. “We like to say        Series beds at upper price points. The       of its ComforPedic foam bed, featuring
we’re the purest organic mattress in the      new beds from the Archdale, N.C.-            trademarked NxG Memory Foam. The
Milky Way.”                                   based mattress maker feature New             four beds are adjustable-base com-
    Simmons added three new beds with         Zealand and Dutch wool, hand-tufting,        patible, feature channel quilting and
suggested retail prices from $1,599 to        woven jacquard ticking and embossed          retail for between $1,000 and $2,000.
$1,999 to its Beautyrest Exceptionale         metal corner guards, at suggested retails    A “mobile showroom” with pop-out
collection.                                   of $2,999, $3,499 and $3,999 in queen.       sides and loft decor was scheduled to set
    Each bed features “lots of little             Overall, there was a noticeable move     out from the Las Vegas market to travel
deluxe touches, tactile borders, suedes       away from ubiquitous knit covers and         10,000 miles and visit 31 cities in the
and beautiful color palettes,” said Rolf      back toward the classic look of woven        United States and Canada, in order to
Sannes, brand director for the Atlanta-       damask ticking, especially at the upper      spread the word about the new mattress
based mattress maker. “We also reduced        end. And mattress edge treatments were       collection.
30% of the weight of our coil-on-coil         sporting new variations. Box-tops mor-           Also new in foam beds was Dormia’s
construction.”                                phed into “waterfall” tops and “drop-        Natural Mattress, a latex core with wool
    Princeton, N.J.-headquartered licens-     top pillow-tops.” E.S. Kluft’s Aireloom      and an organic cotton cover. At $1,995
ing group Therapedic International            beds sported a new “Streamline” edge         for a queen set, its retail price is slightly
introduced Innergy 2, a group of six          detail—a euro-top without the extra          higher than the rest of the brand’s beds.
two-sided innerspring beds with retail        tape-edge.                                       “You lose sales if you don’t have an
price points from $699 to $1,199 queen.           Dual-comfort floor models were           affordable foam line to step up consum-
The company also launched a high-             shown in several lines, including Serta’s    ers from an innerspring,” said Mike
value import program from China, the          Trump Home collection, Simmons’              Zippelli, chief executive officer of Jessup,
six-bed Comfort Touch by Therapedic.          ComforPedic Loft and some E.S. Kluft         Md.-based Classic Sleep Products,
The hybrid beds feature spacer fabrics,       beds. The models allow retailers to          which manufactures the Dormia brand.
pressure-relieving foams and micropo-         display fewer SKUs and make it easier            Ecomfort Mattress, an Anatomic
cket coils over foam cores. Retail prices     for consumers to compare different           Global brand, rolled out a next-
range from $599 to $1,099.                    comfort levels, manufacturers said.          generation memory foam called
    Gold Bond, which has headquarters                                                      EcoMemoryFoam, with five beds at sug-
in Hartford, Conn., added new models          Foam beds with a new bounce                  gested retails of $999 to $1,999 in queen.
to its Anniversary Series of two-sided        Many mattress makers touted their            The new foam is an “extreme open-cell”
mattresses, which are covered with            next-generation memory foams, said to        formula that “does not retain heat,”
Belgian damask fabrics. Retail prices in      offer improved air flow and faster recov-    said David Farley, president and chief
queen range from $599 to $999.                ery. A good number of manufacturers          executive officer of the Corona, Calif.-
    “One of the benefits of having a          also said they are using visco-elastic       based mattress maker. Each bed features
company founder—my dad—who                    foams with a portion of eco-friendly,        convolutions and “cleaves” to maximize

26 | BedTimes | November 2009                                                                           www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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