Free Newsletter
HIGH POINT — Bedding manufacturers showing at the just-wrapped fall market came armed with products to help retailers pull consumers into their stores.
As one of the more recession-proof categories in the home furnishings industry, mattresses tend to be traffic drivers for retailers keeping consumers coming through store doors. With retail remaining soft, dealers are eager to boost traffic, and mattress makers were in High Point with products to help.
From higher-end goods to beds designed with sharp pricing for promotions, High Point’s bedding scene offered options to help retailers weather the economic ebb and flow of business. Bedding manufacturers acknowledged that the bedding segment has returned to its traditional seasonal, promotion-driven cycle with bumps in business occurring around the holidays when mattresses are typically hyped.
Shifman Mattress Co.’s six-model Quilted collection with pricing beginning at $1,599 and spanning up to $2,999 in queen. Known for its luxury lineup, Shifman’s Quilted collection gives retailers the ability to sell consumers a handmade, two-sided Shifman bed crafted with natural cotton and other upscale materials at an attainable price point.
“We do have affordable price points,” said Bill Hammer, president, adding that the collection makes the brand accessible to more consumers. “We’re giving the customer the best value at attainable price point with all of the quality Shifman is known for.”
For Mlily USA, the market was all about pitching value, said Glenn Kobylarczyk, executive vice president. Highlighting the hybrid Onyx collection with its under $1,000 story with the three-model collection with 12-, 13-, and 14-inch profiles, the company offered retailers a luxury look in aggressive price points that also can deliver on a healthy margin, he said.
“We’ve not seen one retailer that hasn’t said business is down and soft,” Kobylarczyk said. “They need product that will help bring customers through the door, and Onyx has delivered that.”
In the Ashley showroom, Brad Rogers, senior vice president of bedding for the company, said dealers were on the prowl for “values. They have been looking to replace slots with value product,” and Ashley was ready across a myriad of price points.
Rogers said the company’s $1,299 to $1,799 family of mattresses were a strong value, while lower priced goods ranging from $799 to $399 were targeting the promotional consumer. In addition to its new mattress lineup, the company also introduced a broad selection of sleep accessories to help retailers boost tickets.
Paramount Sleep Co. addressed a number of segments at the market with an expanded Back Performance line featuring MX advanced memory foam priced to retail between $1,399 and $1,999; finessed its three-bed luxury Legacy collection targeting $5,000 to $10,000 market; refined its Joma Wool Kiwi collection priced to retail from $1,999 to $2,999; and unveiled the new four-model Hypnos Cotton collection with cotton sourced from Virginia.
Richard Fleck, Paramount president, said retailer reaction to the products was strong during market.
“We’ve seen majors, designers and independent retailers,” he said, adding that the category is facing a lot of issues in the upcoming year, including the Tempur Sealy acquisition of Mattress Firm. “Everyone is looking to see what the landscape will look like in 2024 and beyond. Retailers are looking to maximize customer acquisition. It’s important to figure out your niche and stay in it to succeed.”
