BedTimes NOVEMBER 2009
THE BUSINESS JOURNAL FOR THE SLEEP PRODUCTS INDUSTRY
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
Cutting Edge Technology OPTIONS • Model 1367 Motorized Carousel • Model 1379990 Additional roll carts • Model 1379835 Additional stacker carts
Additional stacker carts available Model 1379835 Touch screen controls
Additional roll carts available Model 1379990
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 Infeed Main Unit
PRODUCTION
55 Watt
100 Watt
5.5
8.0
Minutes 8 hours Minutes unload / load
480 - 96
480 - 96
Minutes Run time Panels per minute
394 x 5.5
394 x 8.0
pieces per shift
2167
3152
FR Queen Panels per min.
Motorized Carousel Model 1367
Model 1379D - 55 watt Model 1379D100 - 100 watt
121 x 35 x 40 143 x 94 x 96 160 x 68 x 96
Conforms to all safety regulations dictated by the FDA
Website:
www.atlatt.com The
email:
sales@atlatt.com
Sudden Service™ Company
This equipment is protected by one or more of the following patents: 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; 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; 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. Other U.S. and Foreign Patents Pending. Copyright 2009 Atlanta Attachment Co. 08112010609
Atlanta Attachment Company 362 Industrial Park Drive Lawrenceville, GA 30045 (770) 963-7369 • FAX (770) 963-7641
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 Inventory roll goods only, up to 30” dia. Reduce number of SKU’s Fully automatic operation Video Available! Download schedule to laser 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
Buying Costly Pre-cut Panels!
* Production based on 100 watt laser, queen size panels and most common non-woven material.
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 rubber designed with luxury and comfort in mind. CM
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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 Š2007-2009 Hickory Springs Mfg. Co.
NOV 2009
InSide 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
People won’t follow leaders they don’t trust. Leadership guru Larry Wilson says trusting yourself is an important step in building the trust of others.
9 Company Profile
Natura World, a manufacturer of organic and natural bedding based in Canada, is in the midst of an aggressive expansion that includes acquisitions, new production facilities and a broad social media marketing campaign.
47 ISPA Industry Conference
BedTimes gives you a complete guide to the annual event, held this year Nov. 4-6 in Bonita Springs, Fla. You’ll find schedules, information about exhibitors and sponsors, plus insights from conference speakers about consumer trends, social media marketing, going “green” and creating an exciting retail experience.
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
5 Editor’s Note 33 Industry News 74 Newsmakers 76 Calendar 77 ISPA News 78 Advertisers Index 79 Classifieds 80 The Last Word
BedTimes | November 2009 |
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EDITOR IN CHIEF Julie A. Palm 336-727-1889 jpalm@sleepproducts.org SENIOR WRITER Barbara Nelles 336-856-8973 bnelles@sleepproducts.org CONTRIBUTORS Patricia Frank Lin Grensing-Pophal Dorothy Whitcomb Larry Wilson ART DIRECTOR Stephanie Belcher 336-201-7475 stephanie@jimmydog.com Vice President of Sales Kerri Bellias 336-945-0265 kbellias@sleepproducts.org Ad Production & CIRCULATION manager Debbie Robbins 336-342-4217 drobbins@sleepproducts.org COPY EDITOR Margaret Talley-Seijn
BedTimes deadlines Editorial deadlines for the Industry News and Newsmakers sections of the January issue of BedTimes are Monday, Dec. 1. Volume 137 Number 11 BedTimes (ISSN 0893-5556) is published monthly by the International Sleep Products Association. Periodicals postage paid at Alexandria, Va., and additional mailing offices. Editorial and advertising offices 126 Parkview Lane, Reidsville, NC 27320 Phone 703-683-8371; Fax 703-683-4503 Administrative and ISPA offices 501 Wythe St., Alexandria, Va. 22314-1917 Phone 703-683-8371; Fax 703-683-4503 Postmaster Send address changes to BedTimes, 501 Wythe St., Alexandria, Va. 22314-1917 Contents © 2009 by the International Sleep Products Association. Reprint permission obtainable through BedTimes.
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Editor’sNote Will you have the next big idea in bedding?
I
nnovation—big idea innovation— can transform your company. It can create an entirely new product category, open markets, increase your profits or take you from a niche player to a well-known brand name. That’s serious business. But two researchers say that innovation starts with a free-flowing, almost childlike mind. In a recent post on the Harvard Business Review blog (http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org), Editor Bronwyn Fryer hosted a question-and-answer session with Jeff Dyer, the Horace Beesley Professor of Strategy at the Marriott School at Brigham Young University, and Hal Gregersen, affiliate professor of leadership at the global Insead business school. Dyer and Gregersen conducted a six-year study of “innovators’ DNA,” surveying 3,000 executives and following up with 500 individual interviews. They explore the topic further in an article in the upcoming December issue of the Harvard Business Review. Dyer tells HBR that they have discovered five key skills that distinguish innovators from other executives or managers: “The first skill is what we call ‘associating.’ It’s a cognitive skill that allows creative people to make connections across seemingly unrelated questions, problems or ideas. The second skill is questioning—an ability to ask ‘what if,’ ‘why’ and ‘why not’ questions that challenge the status quo and open up the bigger picture. The third is the ability to closely observe details, particularly the details of people’s behavior. Another skill is the ability to experiment— the people we studied are always trying on new experiences and exploring new worlds. And finally, they are really good at networking with smart people who have little in common with them, but
from whom they can learn.” What do those traits have in common? They all stem from inquisitiveness. “I spent 20 years studying great global leaders and that was the big common denominator. It’s the same kind of inquisitiveness you see in small children,” Gregersen says. ”If you look at 4-year-olds, they are constantly asking questions and wondering how things work. But by the time they are 6 ½ years old, they stop asking questions because they quickly learn that teachers value the right answers more than provocative questions. High school students rarely show inquisitiveness,” Gregersen says. “And by the time they’re grown up and are in corporate settings, they have already had the curiosity drummed out of them. Eighty percent of executives spend less than 20% of their time on discovering new ideas.” You probably have innovators in your company and they may not be who you think. Dyer says there are many “discovery-driven” people who are reluctant to ask questions, try experiments or brainstorm ideas because they worry about looking dumb or don’t believe their company values such initiative. To unleash innovative ideas, it might be time to encourage people in your company to discover their inner child. BT
Julie A. Palm BedTimes | November 2009 |
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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 worrying 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 pretending to follow because they think they have to?” Here’s the thing: Leading isn’t for the thin skinned. Just the opposite: It requires the thick skin we all have, yet might not have discovered. When you’re really leading, you’ll constantly discover your thick skin while learning more about yourself. We have to learn to trust ourselves before we can expect others to trust us. It’s only when others believe and trust us that they will follow us. Earning trust is the starting point for any leader who expects others to be ready, willing and able to follow him. What is trust? There are numerous ways to define trust. I think of trust as the glue that keeps relationships connected or, in the absence of trust, disconnected. Leaders can’t afford to have disconnected relationships. What is it about you that others have to trust before they want to follow you? When I was chief executive officer of Wilson Learning Corp., we had a group of Ph.D.s who were focused on studying trust. They determined that the word “trust” is too broad to be properly defined as only one concept. They came up with three separate beliefs people need to have about you before they’re ready to follow you:
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
➤ They need to trust your intention Do you really have their best interests at heart? Do you really care? ➤ They need to trust your competence Are you able or skillful enough to do the tasks you’re responsible for doing? Are you up for the job? ➤ They need to trust your propriety Do you behave in ways that people expect you to behave in any given situation? Do you portray the values, decency and morality they expect from any leader? It’s here where you need that thick skin. Are you tough enough to answer these questions truthfully? Can you look into a mirror and objectively evaluate your leadership performance on a 1-to-10 scale against these criteria? And, if you can, are you tough enough to share your evaluations with the people you hope will follow you? This means using your thick skin to share with them your thin skin— the mistakes, failures and behaviors you know are holding you back from being the leader they want you to be. This last toughness test—objectively sharing evaluations of your leadership—is called self-disclosure. Self-disclosure is powerful. Being willing to open up is one of the most
significant ways any leader can earn trust from others, if—and it’s a big if—you’re also willing to ask your followers to provide their honest feedback about you. If you’re in a cold sweat just thinking about asking your followers such questions, it’s time to check your skin’s thickness. Pinch yourself. You do have the right stuff and deserve the title of leader because you’re willing to change and grow. Believe that you do have the thick skin necessary to do the job, because you do. You can withstand the growing pains and you can withstand the heat because you are a leader. Believe in yourself and others will follow. BT Larry Wilson is a pioneer in change management, leadership development and strategic thinking. He has founded the Wilson Learning Corp., Pecos River Learning and The Wilson Collaborative. Wilson works with companies to help them “create the organization that, if it existed, would put them out of business.” His clients include major mattress manufacturers and retailers. He can be reached at larry.wilson@mac.com.
BedTimes | November 2009 |
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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, innovative 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 founding and reports that sales of Natura products increased 40% in 2008. This year’s sales are on track to meet or surpass that number, says Ralph Rossdeutscher, president and co-founder of the Cambridge, Ontario-based company. “Now is the perfect time to grow because you’re able to get good people and bankers (in Canada) are very supportive,” he says. Expansion plans Rapid growth prompted the company to more than triple its manufacturing space last year. In March 2008, all production moved from a 42,000-square-foot factory into a new 141,000-square-foot facility. The move makes Natura “the largest mattress and bedding manufacturer in Canada,” says Larry Klein, senior vice president. Natura sells its products, which include foam and latex mattresses, as well as a wide array of sleep accessories, throughout Canada and the United States. Distribution channels in Canada include large retailers and www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
(Above) Heading south Natura World’s production is based in Cambridge, Ontario. The company is planning to open an additional facility in the United States. (Left) Corporate culture The company’s new headquarters includes a lounge to promote informal interaction among employees.
buying groups, which provide access to mom-and-pop stores and less urban markets. In the United States, products are sold primarily through sleep shops and furniture stores. “Forty percent of current annual sales come from within Canada,” Klein says. “The Canadian business is up significantly, but shrinking overall because business in the U.S. (now 60% of total sales) is growing so rapidly.” Rapid U.S. growth propelled Natura’s recent decision to open a manufacturing facility in the United States. The company has not settled on a site, but Rossdeutscher wants it to be located “as far from Toronto as possible.” Sites in the Southeast and Southwest are being considered.
Natura recently acquired the rights to manufacture and license gel mattresses from NexGel, a Salt Lake City manufacturer, and will do so under the name Gel Solutions in the United States and Gelatex Solutions in Canada. The purchase, and a recently signed licensing agreement with The Sharper Image, has accelerated the search for a U.S. facility, says Scott Miller, senior vice president of U.S. sales. Natura also is developing an international distribution network. Michael Pino, international director of sales, has been working for more than a year to increase Natura’s global presence. Prior to his arrival, the company sold product through one retailer in Kuwait. The company now has distribution
BedTimes | November 2009 |
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CompanyProfile
in several Caribbean countries and will open a Natura-branded store in Kuwait City in December. Because the organic market as a whole is less developed outside North America and Europe, the company is targeting countries such as Australia and Morocco. ‘Green’ guidelines Natura has been a leader in industry efforts to quantify and define terms such as “natural,” “green” and “organic,” and Rossdeutscher has been involved in the Specialty Sleep Association’s recent effort to define such words. “Consumers should be able to compare products easily,” he says. “Every company, big or small, needs to be measured against the same criteria.” Natura has taken its own steps to define what it means by natural and organic. The company now measures “the natural content of every mattress by weight” and posts the data on its Web site and point-of-purchase materials, Rossdeutscher says. Natura mattresses and sleep accessories are now categorized into five groups: the Organic, Natural, UltraGreen and Green collections. The company’s memory foams are in a collection called Mixed Greens. Miller says the new NexGel products fit well with the Natura brand because they use “70% food-grade mineral oil, BioH foam and natural ingredients.” “It also brings leadership in an emerging category of specialty sleep products by providing superior pressure relief, comfort and support,” Miller adds. Accessories aren’t add-ons Sales of sleep accessories such as sheets and sound machines represent about 45% of Natura’s annual sales. “From the beginning of our company, we always thought everything should work together and sold each mattress with a duvet and a pillow,” Rossdeutscher says. Today the company offers close to 700 SKUs of
10 | BedTimes | November 2009
‘The corporate culture is very important to us. We want to be a friendly, nice company to work with and you have to start that at home with everyone getting along.’ accessories, including comforters and duvets, bed linens, pillows, aromatherapy sprays and pet beds. Some of Natura’s most interesting and profitable innovations have come in the accessory arena. The company recently modified encapsulation technology used in Japan to incorporate anti-cellulite cream into women’s stockings so that it could be used to put aloe extract into pillow covers. Accessories can help close the gap in sales as consumers economize on mattress purchases. “If retailers can convince customers that the pillows they’re carrying around to test the beds are an important part (of a good night’s sleep), they can get back up to the ticket price they need to stay in business,” Klein says. ‘Innovative informality’ Innovation and seeing sleep as a multidimensional activity are important parts of the Natura corporate culture. Weekly team meetings, which include employees from all parts of the business, focus on product development. Another morning each week is devoted to reviewing “Don’t Screw up Again” reports. These reports chronicle errors of every sort made throughout the company. “If someone makes a mistake, it’s totally forgiven the first time,” Klein
says. “The second time it’s seen as pretty silly. We want to make sure that all mistakes stop at the door. We build customer loyalty by getting the product out correctly and on time.” Employee loyalty is built by creating an atmosphere that encourages individual contributions but also camaraderie. A staff lounge, complete with a billiards table, promotes relaxed interaction. Flowers are sent to the homes of new hires to show families that the company thinks they’re important, too. After five years of service, employees are sent on an all-expenses paid tropical vacation. “The corporate culture is very important to us,” Rossdeutscher says. “We want to be a friendly, nice company to work with and you have to start that at home with everyone getting along.” Innovative informality extends to the company’s current marketing efforts. Natura has been making extensive use of social media, including Twitter, Facebook and “mom bloggers”—mothers who host online support and information communities. The innovations are the work of Julia Rosien, a communications director who was hired for her social media expertise. “When I first came to the company, we were buying ads on Google and about half of the traffic to our Web site came from those ads. I canceled the ads and now we can directly correlate 60% of the traffic to social media. That’s up from zero and we’re not paying for it,” Rosien says. Rossdeutscher acknowledges that the four-employee start-up he founded with his father, Harry Rossdeutscher, in 1994 has come a long way. But if the company’s size and scope has changed, its goals and values have not, he insists. Rossdeutscher says: “I’ve always wanted to be in the forefront of technology and be the first on the block to have the newest and best products on the market.” BT 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
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By Barbara Nelles
hether you call them “mattress fabrics” or just plain “ticking,” the textiles used to upholster mattresses and foundations are a vital part of the marketing—and the comfort and performance— of today’s bed sets. In the home, ticking will be covered with bed linens, but it’s what attracts the consumer’s eye at retail. Fabrics chosen for each mattress model tell a story on the sales floor, suppliers say. They provide visual cues to a bed’s price point in relation to other models in a collection. Ticking also can tell a story of luxury or “naturalness” or, increasingly, functional benefits such as aromatherapy and temperature regulation. In many markets, damask mattress fabric has ceded the floor to circular knits. And with knits, it’s easy to stitch in words like “cashmere,” “organic cotton” or “natural,” allowing the bed to speak directly to consumers. While innerspring beds remain mostly white, consumers who purchase nontraditional bedding like latex and visco-elastic 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. “We’ve moved away from that ‘block of yellow cheese look,’ ” Lava says. “Consumers want to look 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 that the box is the most important thing about selling perfume. And that one damaged box in a display ruins everything— 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 bed as with the inside,” says Camilla Franklin, vice president of global sourcing and design for Blumenthal Print Works, which is based in New Orleans. Colorways & design trends In the United States, most midpriced innerspring bedding is still very much enrobed in white. But on higher end innersprings, “green” beds and specialty sleep models, you’ll find more color and design seeping into panels, borders and trim. “Black worked and now shades of charcoal and silver are very popular. We are seeing little pops of color in chocolates and berry-type colors,” says Steve Bond, vice president of design and innovation at Culp Inc., which has headquarters in High Point, N.C., “And dusty, silvery shades of aubergine, lavender and lilac are up and coming.” “Bordeaux and turquoise are the trend colors in fashion this season,” says Apollonija Spela Honigsman, research and development manager for Bodet & Horst in Elterlein, Germany. Color schemes of eco-friendly beds tend to be aqua blue/ green and soft sage or moss accent colors, Franklin says. “Metal tones, such as bronze, stainless steel and a pewtery look that is almost violet, are combining well with soft background colors and greens are getting bluer,” says Lynn Pappas, product portfolio manager for Bekaert Textiles USA, which has headquarters in Winston-Salem, N.C. “Here in Canada we’re getting into new colorways,” says www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
Lorne Romoff, vice president of sales for Montreal-based Maxime Knitting. “We are knitting thicker, heavier fabrics in silvers, baby blues and other soft tones. The bedding floor is much more colorful and visual than in the U.S.” “On my very first trip to Scandinavia, they looked at my samples and said, ‘Too much color!’ ” says Nebi Dogan, area sales coordinator for Boyteks, which is based in Kayseri, Turkey. “Then I traveled to Morocco, bringing my most colorful fabrics, and they said, ‘Where’s the color?’ ” “Blues and greens, including turquoise, are very big in Turkey right now. Europe remains more soft gray and modern. In North Africa, dark red and blue jacquards with gold patterns are popular on mattresses that are placed right on the floor in living rooms for sleeping and as furniture. In South Africa, the taste is very similar to the U.S., in Greece they like ecru cottons and in Sweden, blues,” Dogan says. “Nontraditional” is how many describe current design motifs.
‘Consumers want to look at their expensive new mattress and see beauty. These beds look more like upholstered furniture.’ “Traditional motifs, such as medallions and scrolls, have gotten cleaner, more minimalistic and stylized. Large-scale patterns—we call them ‘jumbos’—are popular in Central and South America and are starting to appear in the U.S.,” Pappas says. The oversized motifs have been around for a while, says Marian Stephenson, design director at Innofa USA in Eden, N.C. “First it was medallions and now it’s everything—flowers, leaves, etc. In home furnishings we are seeing modern paisleys and ethnic geometrics with sort of African inspiration. It’s interesting to watch how and when these interior fabrics reach tickings.” “We are selling smaller, more delicate prints with nature motifs—vines, leaves and smaller flowers, as well as a lot of geometrics—in earth tones, greens, roses, silvers and golds,” says Wade Wallace, vice president of sales for Tietex, a woven and nonwoven textile supplier based in Spartanburg, S.C. Honigsman sees a growing “globalization of tastes over the last 10 years.” “It’s quite amazing,” she says. “We are basically all connected—in Asia, Australia, Europe, the U.S. As we all tap into the same resources, the trends are becoming very similar with just slight modifications. Something we develop in Europe will be very trendy in Asia, too, though maybe they will want a different color.”
BedTimes | November 2009 |
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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, CoolMax and Celliant. There’s also a growing market for eco-friendly fabrics made with cellulosic fibers such as cotton, linen, rayon, Tencel and bamboo viscose, as well as fabrics made from polyester yarns spun from recycled plastic bottles. “The entire cellulosic category is increasing because of the comfort factor and people wanting to get away from petroleum products,” says Laura Allred, the design director of Continental Ticking in Alamance, N.C. In August, Tietex introduced Pure Earth, a collection of 100% unbleached natural cotton woven fabrics printed with vegetable and mineral dyes for the mattress borders and top panel. “When it comes to yarns, it seems there is something new each week,” says Eric Delaby, vice president of sales and marketing for Deslee Textiles USA, based in Inman, S.C. “We’ve used hemp, kapok, linen, bamboo—all these natural yarns—but now there is ‘milk’ and crab shell, too.” 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 probiotics 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 also sells a ticking with an “FR adhesive backing” that allows manufacturers to
16 | BedTimes | November 2009
Large-scale design This simple, oversized pattern is shown in a zippered cover from Bodet & Horst.
reduce the amount of FR fiber needed. Supreme Quilting, a supplier of covers, quilts and kits, offers an FR solution in a zippered cover designed to help small and midsized mattress producers hold down FR costs, says Steve Holder, vice president of sales and product development for the Etobicoke, Ontariobased company. Zippered covers—very popular in Europe—are gaining popularity in North America, especially among Internet sellers of foam and latex beds, Holder says. “If there is a problem with the bed’s comfort, the customer can literally adjust the bed themselves,” he says. “The manufacturer can ship a new layer of latex and the customer can insert it into the bed—preventing full product returns.” Spacer fabrics are not new, but have become very trendy on foam beds
Saving a step Culp Inc.’s textural QuiltFree fabric requires no quilting.
Soothing tones Blumenthal Print Works is among the suppliers incorporating spalike tones into tickings.
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.
New hues Innofa USA is including violet hues in new collections with large-scale motifs.
because of the promise of a cooler night’s sleep, suppliers say. The threedimensional fabrics with vertical polypropylene fibers come in a range of thicknesses and are used on both borders and top panels. Also designed for use on foam beds are some new knit collections that have the look and feel of being quilted— without the need to quilt. Culp’s QuiltFree, introduced a year ago, is a woven border fabric with a simulated quilted design. For the top panel, Culp offers Cumulus, a heavyweight, quilted-look knit that also requires no quilting. At Innofa USA, the two most popular fabrics are a high-end 100% organic cotton group, and a textured, heavier group that requires no quilting. “Some of these are so thick they look like a pillow and they work especially well with foam beds,” Stephenson says.
18 | BedTimes | November 2009
Maxime Knitting just introduced its three-dimensional, quilted-look “blister” products. “It’s being really well received and has super stretch with elastic yarns,” Romoff says. Zoned knits are available from companies including Deslee, Innofa and Bodet & Horst. These fabrics have areas of greater elasticity in the hip or shoulder regions and work especially well with zoned foam cores, suppliers say. Knits versus wovens Mattresses at promotional and lower price points often are covered with inexpensive printed fabrics, such as warp knits and nonwoven stitchbonds or with polyester and polypropylene-blend jacquards. But knits, too, are finding their way onto lower priced goods, suppliers say. Previously the province of the $999and-up queen set, knit covers now can
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 continues to grow. “On specialty bedding, where you want more movement and flexibility, knits work especially well over microcoils, air bladders and foams,” Delaby says. The overwhelming presence of knits is beginning to spark some renewed interest in high-end jacquards in both North America and Europe, suppliers say. But gone are the stiff, scratchy damasks of old. The influence of knits means that jacquards need a soft hand. “The comeback is partly due to the vanilla nature of knits,” Cottonaro says, “With jacquards, we can be so much more decorative and ornate and the hand is comparable to knits.” “With wovens, you can achieve a separation of feel from bed to bed—we’re getting back to that. You can soften or firm it and change the hand, whereas knits tend to all have the same cushiony feel when you lie down,” Bond says. “It’s human nature to want something different,” Allred says. “That’s why we’re beginning to go back to Old World damasks.” To confuse things further, several www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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Bold patterns Nebi Dogan, area sales coordinator for Boyteks, says dark red and blue jacquards with gold patterns are popular in North Africa.
Inside designers’ creative process Textile designers say they find inspiration everywhere they go and most have a camera in hand to record what they’re seeing. Some textile suppliers also purchase artwork from design studios that their own team then interprets for mattress fabrics. “I do lots of retail research in all areas—from fashion to even thrift stores,” says Camilla Franklin, vice president of global sourcing and design at Blumenthal Print Works in New Orleans. “I constantly take snaps, assembling them in all different ways. It’s great fun.” “I find inspiration in nature, fashion, architecture, at trade shows, while shopping. And there are so many trend services, plus, of course, there is the Internet,” says Marian Stephenson, design director at Innofa USA in Eden, N.C. “My favorite online resources are design blogs, especially Design*Sponge (www.designspongeonline.com) and decor8 (http://decor8blog.com).” Depending on the customer, Franklin says the design process can involve a little or a lot of give-and-take. “If they’ve got a big design department—some companies have their own interior designers—information and direction flows both ways,” she says. “Other customers want us to lead them and that’s a service we offer. We create coordinated stories with borders and panels for them.” “We observe social trends, too, and marketing trends,” says Lynn Pappas, product portfolio manager for Bekaert Textiles USA, which has headquarters in Winston-Salem, N.C. “(Trend and marketing guru) Robyn Waters is a good resource. You listen to the visionaries, read shelter magazines, go to design and trend presentations. The ‘Sherwin-Williams 2010 Color Forecast’ presented at Showtime (in High Point, N.C.) was great.” When apparel manufacturing moved offshore, Montreal-based Maxime Knitting took its “expertise and knowledge of fashion trends and colors and brought it into the bedding business,” says Lorne Romoff, vice president of sales. Apollonija Spela Honigsman, research and development manager for Bodet & Horst, based in Elterlein, Germany, says her company’s design team monitors numerous sources, including trend books from MoOD (Meet only Original Designs, formerly Decosit Brussels); the Peclers Paris trend agency; the Heimtextil fabric show in Frankfurt, Germany; and Dutch design firm Milou Ket. “Many of my inspirations are in upholstery fabrics. I’m drawing on my previous experience as an upholstery designer,” says Laura Allred, design director of Continental Ticking, based in Alamance, N.C. “Over time, I focus on the individual customer’s tastes and markets and develop a rapport with that customer so that often, I can intuit and fulfill customer needs before they even verbalize it.”
20 | BedTimes | November 2009
major suppliers have introduced highend 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 elasticity so they cut easily and can be used in borders,” Honigsman says. In the United States, Africa and Asia, traditional wovens remain on the market because of their affordability and Dogan says he doesn’t expect that to change anytime soon. But knits win the popularity contest in most other parts of the world. Collaborating with customers Ticking suppliers are fond of using the gift-wrap analogy when they talk about their products. But they are quick to say that ticking does more than adorn a bed and draw the eye. A line that has been well-merchandised with mattress fabrics transmits important visual cues to consumers. “Our customer may tell us they have a six-bed collection starting at $499 and going up to $1,999,” Bond says. “They may say they want a better border starting at $1,299. And that’s our task—to come up with price points and a common theme so that when the beds are all lined up together, they are cohesive yet you get a visual step-up story.” The covers on specialty beds do more than just look good: “Those dropped borders and cording visually represent on the outside what’s on the inside,” Lava says. “The salesperson can point to the cord and say, ‘From here up is your super-soft memory foam layer and from the microsuede panel down is your firm-support foam,’ etc.” Merchandising a bed line is a collaborative effort between supplier and manufacturer. “We get the ball rolling, but it’s very much a give-and-take with our customers—you have to be nimble and agile because it’s all very customized,” Wells says. “And retailers are much more www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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involved in the process, too.” “You create visible differences. It’s a little bit subjective, but typically the simpler patterns are less expensive,” Stephenson says. “It’s a meeting of minds between customer and designer. They look to us for ideas. Sometimes they may have a specific request, but most are designer-driven. We listen to what they want and
interpret it.” The digitization of production and design has enabled fabric suppliers to easily respond to requests for customization and make quick changes. “I’ve got a lot of colors in my paint box and the fact that the designs are all electronically controlled means we can do really short runs
Debates along the border
Typically, ticking suppliers offer manufacturers two grades of fabric: border and panel. Today, most single-sided bed sets sold in North America have a less expensive jacquard or sometimes a warp knit on the border panels and a pricier knit or damask on the top panel. Suppliers say the use of less expensive border fabrics is a cost-saving measure—the result of higher manufacturing costs associated with FR solutions, rising raw materials prices and the popularity of circular knits, which are less stable as border fabric. Many mattress manufacturers use a common border across entire collections—sometimes across entire brands—which allows them to save even more money by reducing bed bases to just a handful of SKUs. “It’s a smart move from a manufacturing point of view,” says Ann Weaver, vice president of sales and marketing for Lava Textiles USA, with headquarters in Gastonia, N.C. “You don’t have to worry about the hand with border fabrics, so you can spend less and put more money in the top panel of the bed, which is what the consumer feels.” However, the use of common border fabrics has lent a certain “sameness” to the retail floor, some fabric suppliers say. They see a countertrend brewing. “People are definitely beginning to spend a little more money on borders and are jazzing them up,” says Lorne Romoff, vice president of sales at Maxime Knitting in Montreal. “There is some rethinking going on about borders because a better border fabric with some color or design is the best way to get the consumer over to your bed on the retail floor—it’s the first thing she sees,” says Brandon Wells, vice president of sales and marketing for Bekaert Textiles USA, based in Winston-Salem, N.C. “Your first frame of reference on the bedding floor is the border,” says Mike Cottonaro, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Culp Inc., which has headquar-
22 | BedTimes | November 2009
and do work for small- to mediumsize customers. Pattern changes are easy,” Allred says. “As long as we have the components, we can put it on the loom and get product out the door in three to five days.” “We provide a lot more exclusives than in the past,” Bond says. “What we sell to one customer we rarely offer to another.” BT
ters in High Point, N.C. “Borders are finally getting the respect they deserve—we’re seeing movement toward better borders.” 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 with because of the stretch, but a contrasting textured knit on the side will create a better match with a knit top panel.” “We are in the packaging business and the border needs to be finished perfectly. It’s the final touch,” says Eric Delaby, vice president of sales and marketing for Deslee Textiles USA in Inman, S.C. Deslee promotes knit borders for “an upholstery look.” “A tightly constructed chenille, for instance, creates a very sturdy no-slip border and a great look,” Delaby says. “Achieving an upholstered look on the border with stretchy knits has been done but requires revamping your manufacturing process,” says Laura Allred, the design director at Continental Ticking, based in Alamance, N.C. Using some of the new upholstery-style woven tickings is a growing trend, she adds. “The bed as an upholstered item is a trend that started in Europe and Asia, but it’s spreading,” Allred says. “Of course you cover it with a sheet, but you don’t use dust ruffles, so the foundation always stays exposed.” For moderately priced bedding, Spartanburg, S.C.based Tietex launched its printed Edge Border Collection about a year ago. “Printed ticking is nothing new but we are seeing a new trend toward printed borders using small, subtle geometrics like herringbone and diamonds or company logos, words and phrases,” says Wade Wallace, vice president of sales for the woven and nonwoven textile supplier. “The prints can be coordinated to complement the accent colors in the top panel.” “If you walk though a retail store, you will see that the border is as important as the surface—if anything, it’s more important,” says Camilla Franklin, vice president of global sourcing and design at Blumenthal Print Works, which has headquarters in New Orleans. “Manufacturers need to differentiate among their products, yet I see different brands with the same borders. The border should be part of your brand.”
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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 bedding 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 bio-based content, sustainable wood frames and organic fibers. The overall mood among manufacturers was one of resolve and cautious optimism. “We saw it as a very positive sign that so many licensees had a good Labor Day,” said Ron Passaglia, president and chief executive officer of mattress licensing group Restonic. “I foresee jagged improvements throughout 2010 and expect to see solid improvement by 2011.” “I believe consumers with means are finally coming out of their shells,” said Earl Kluft, president of E.S. Kluft & Co., a high-end bed maker with headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. “They are finally beginning to spend again.” Interestingly, several mattress makers announced that—in addition to their fall appearance in Las Vegas—they would be showing at the High Point Market in High Point, N.C., in October. Some are finding that the Las Vegas Market attracts West Coast, Midwestern and international customers, but fewer from the East and Southeast. Good buys greet market-goers Mattress makers put significant emphasis on building more value into their lineups to help retailers jump-start sluggish sales. Suggested retail pricing on what was once considered ultrapremium bedding was often in the prewww.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
Focused on the top Latex International unveiled Pillows for the Body, a line of luxury mattress toppers in latex and the company’s temperature-regulating Celsion latex.
Advancing adjustables Leggett & Platt’s Consumer Products Group introduced ShipShape, a shippable, easy-to-assemble adjustable base aimed at Internet retailers.
mium range and so on down the line. The new Spring Air International made its Las Vegas debut, presenting retailers with special market-only pricing on its reformulated flagship brands: Back Supporter and Chattam & Wells. “We are positioning ourselves as ‘the value S brand’, ” said Rick Robinson, president of the Boston-based licensing group. “Without the debt burden of the old company, our individual licensees are able to offer retailers fine craftsmanship at incredible values.” The Back Supporter Value Collection with LFK innerspring and foam comfort layers has suggested retail prices of $399 to $599* for a queen set. The step-up foam-encased Total Balance collection features damask or knit covers. The Four Seasons has a pocket-coil spring unit and premium comfort layers, including cashmere. Spring Air’s ultra-premium Chattam & Wells line has been repositioned as “more affordable luxury.” Its suggested opening retail price point is $1,599 instead of its former $2,100. The line tops out at $2,999 instead of $4,999. At Eclipse, Perfection Rest offered the look of luxury with an opening price point of $599 retail for a queen set. Its Zoned Quilt Technology features
a 20-inch wide, memory foam-quilted lumbar region that “visibly reinforces the patented Spinal Sleep Zone System and reduces any chance of body impressions,” said Stuart Carlitz, president of the mattress manufacturer and licensing group, which has headquarters in North Brunswick, N.J. Affordable luxury was the message behind Serta’s rollout of its Trump Home mattress collection. Inspired by the over-the-top lifestyle of billionaire developer Donald Trump, the beds offer ultra-premium gilt and damask eye appeal at retail prices from $799 to $1,499. “There are unique components in every model and the price hits a sweet spot,” said Bob Sherman, president of the Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based mattress maker. “Consumers we interviewed can’t believe these beds are not more expensive.” Organic Mattresses Inc., which made its Las Vegas debut in February, introduced the OrganicPedic Sierra bed, an 8-inch thick, two-sided natural latex mattress retailing for $1,595 for the queen mattress or $1,995 for the set. “It’s $800 less than any other natural * Unless otherwise noted, all mattress prices are suggested retail.
BedTimes | November 2009 |
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MarketReport
At the upper end Sealy added three Heritage Series beds to the Stearns & Foster brand. Mark Delahanty, vice president of Sealy brands, shows off one of the beds, which have suggested retail prices from $2,999 to $3,999.
latex mattress out there,” said Walt Bader, president and chief executive officer of the Yuba City, Calif.-based mattress manufacturer. “We like to say we’re the purest organic mattress in the Milky Way.” Simmons added three new beds with suggested retail prices from $1,599 to $1,999 to its Beautyrest Exceptionale collection. Each bed features “lots of little deluxe touches, tactile borders, suedes and beautiful color palettes,” said Rolf Sannes, brand director for the Atlantabased mattress maker. “We also reduced 30% of the weight of our coil-on-coil construction.” Princeton, N.J.-headquartered licensing group Therapedic International introduced Innergy 2, a group of six two-sided innerspring beds with retail price points from $699 to $1,199 queen. The company also launched a highvalue import program from China, the six-bed Comfort Touch by Therapedic. The hybrid beds feature spacer fabrics, pressure-relieving foams and micropocket coils over foam cores. Retail prices range from $599 to $1,099. Gold Bond, which has headquarters in Hartford, Conn., added new models to its Anniversary Series of two-sided mattresses, which are covered with Belgian damask fabrics. Retail prices in queen range from $599 to $999. “One of the benefits of having a company founder—my dad—who
26 | BedTimes | November 2009
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—offers “true luxury” at a value price point, Passaglia said. The three euro-top beds in the collection are foam-encased and have a microcoil comfort layer. Suggested retail prices for a queen set are $1,299 and $1,499. Sealy, which redesigned and repriced its Stearns & Foster brand in February, went against the tide of lower priced offerings by introducing three Heritage Series beds at upper price points. The new beds from the Archdale, N.C.based mattress maker feature New Zealand and Dutch wool, hand-tufting, woven jacquard ticking and embossed metal corner guards, at suggested retails of $2,999, $3,499 and $3,999 in queen. Overall, there was a noticeable move away from ubiquitous knit covers and back toward the classic look of woven damask ticking, especially at the upper end. And mattress edge treatments were sporting new variations. Box-tops morphed into “waterfall” tops and “droptop pillow-tops.” E.S. Kluft’s Aireloom beds sported a new “Streamline” edge detail—a euro-top without the extra tape-edge. Dual-comfort floor models were shown in several lines, including Serta’s Trump Home collection, Simmons’ ComforPedic Loft and some E.S. Kluft beds. The models allow retailers to display fewer SKUs and make it easier for consumers to compare different comfort levels, manufacturers said. Foam beds with a new bounce Many mattress makers touted their next-generation memory foams, said to offer improved air flow and faster recovery. A good number of manufacturers also said they are using visco-elastic foams with a portion of eco-friendly,
‘Best Buy’ Restonic’s 7th Heaven Bed was named in honor of the company’s seventh Consumers Digest Best Buy award, said Ron Passaglia, Restonic president and chief executive officer. The three beds in the collection are foam-encased and have a microcoil comfort layer.
bio-based content. Simmons put the spotlight on ComforPedic Loft, a value-priced extension of its ComforPedic foam bed, featuring trademarked NxG Memory Foam. The four beds are adjustable-base compatible, feature channel quilting and retail for between $1,000 and $2,000. A “mobile showroom” with pop-out sides and loft decor was scheduled to set out from the Las Vegas market to travel 10,000 miles and visit 31 cities in the United States and Canada, in order to spread the word about the new mattress collection. Also new in foam beds was Dormia’s Natural Mattress, a latex core with wool and an organic cotton cover. At $1,995 for a queen set, its retail price is slightly higher than the rest of the brand’s beds. “You lose sales if you don’t have an affordable foam line to step up consumers from an innerspring,” said Mike Zippelli, chief executive officer of Jessup, Md.-based Classic Sleep Products, which manufactures the Dormia brand. Ecomfort Mattress, an Anatomic Global brand, rolled out a nextgeneration memory foam called EcoMemoryFoam, with five beds at suggested retails of $999 to $1,999 in queen. The new foam is an “extreme open-cell” formula that “does not retain heat,” said David Farley, president and chief executive officer of the Corona, Calif.based mattress maker. Each bed features convolutions and “cleaves” to maximize www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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Las Vegas debut Pure LatexBLISS, a new company founded by industry veterans Kurt Ling (pictured) and Joe Hunt, showed its line of mattresses made of latex cores and latex plus foam-encased pocket coils, for the first time at the Las Vegas Market.
Brand extension Simmons added lower priced beds to its ComforPedic brand with the introduction of ComforPedic Loft. The four beds are adjustable-base compatible and retail for between $1,000 and $2,000, said Anne Kozel, director of the brand.
elasticity and temperature regulation. Tempur-Pedic, which has headquarters in Lexington, Ky., introduced a plusher version of its memory foam— called Tempur ES—in its new TempurCloud Supreme bed. It retails for $2,399 in queen. The less expensive TempurCloud bed is slated for introduction at the February Las Vegas Market and will retail for $1,899; other Tempur ES models will follow. Mike Mason, director of brand development and integration, said the Tempur-Cloud collection will help the company reach a new audience— sleepers who prefer a plusher surface. The product rollout is being supported with a broad-based traditional and social media marketing campaign that features actual Tempur-Pedic mattress owners. New mattress company Pure Latex BLISS founded by industry veterans Kurt Ling and Joe Hunt, made its Las Vegas debut with four collections of mattresses with Talalay latex cores and latex plus foam-encased pocket coils. The one-sided beds have 6-inch to 11inch cores and zippered knit covers. Ling, who is chief executive officer of the Atlanta-based company, describes the new venture as a “virtual mattress company”—it has no corporate offices or manufacturing facilities and outsources assembly functions to contractors. Its mission is to deliver excellent value in ultra-premium latex beds, Ling said. “We don’t offer suggested retail
prices—our proposition to retailers is that ‘threestone’ is the new keystone.” South Bay International, which is based in Pomona, Calif., unveiled a three-bed Jane Seymour Designs collection. The Hollywood star, known for her role as TV’s “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” was at market for the debut. The memory foam and latex beds top out at $1,999 in queen. Sedona Comfort, which is headquartered in Phoenix, made its first appearance in Las Vegas. The new mattress maker, which has been in the foam-pouring business for more than 30 years, uses proprietary visco-elastic foams with bio-based content called “PUR memory material,” incorporating a plant-based polyol, said Guy Sasso, director of sales. Beds retail for $1,100 to $3,300 in queen sizes. At the Zedbed showroom the spotlight was on the mattress manufacturer’s ZCloud series introduced earlier this year. The beds are made in Canada with proprietary ZX pressure-relief material, a visco-elastic foam with bio-based content that “reacts like latex,” said Josée Lebel, customer service representative for the company, which is based in Grand-Mere, Quebec. Suggested retails are $1,799 to $2,199 in queen. Mattress maker Magniflex, with headquarters in Prato, Italy, turned to color and playful imagery in its new Lamborghini bed. “Every person buys first with their
28 | BedTimes | November 2009
eyes,” said Mario Magni, Magniflex sales director. Despite the luxury images associated with the Lamborghini brand, the queen-sized foam mattress retails for $1,300. Magniflex also introduced a lavender-scented memory foam mattress with a different comfort level on each side. The zippered cover, infused with essential oil, is guaranteed to retain its lavender scent for up to 20 machine washings. The mattress retails for $1,100 in queen and can be vacuum packed for shipping. Glideaway Sleep Products, which is based in St. Louis, added three innerspring beds with latex to its year-old Sleep Harmony mattress collection. Natural Rest by Sleep Harmony retails for $799, $1,199 and $1,499 in queen. Mattress maker Hollandia International has expanded its 3D Collection, introduced at the last market, with a new frame upholstered in three-dimensional fabric. It retails for $2,600 in queen. The beds feature a Talalay latex mattress core with a breathable, dimensional comfort layer and a spacer-fabric cover. Both comfort layer and mattress cover are washable with soap and water, said Maya Ben, vice president of operations for the company, based in Sderot, Israel. Cranking down adjustable bed prices To help retailers step consumers up to an adjustable bed, a number of manufacturers introduced more affordable motion bases. An adjustable base should be part of every sales pitch when selling an adjustable-compatible bed such as ComforPedic Loft, said Anne Kozel, director of Simmons’ ComforPedic, Natural Care and Simmons Kids brands. Targeting Internet merchants, Leggett & Platt’s Consumer Products Group, which is based in Carthage, Mo., launched ShipShape, a shippable, lightweight and easy-to-assemble base with a price point of $800 in queen. “In the last few years, we’ve seen a shift toward younger people buying adjustable beds—60% of purchasers are under 65,” said Herman Tam, group www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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vice president of sales and marketing. “People spend more time in the bedroom—they’re bonding with their families there, talking, working, watching television.” Reverie, a Silver Creek, N.Y.-based company that imports private-label and Reverie-branded goods from Taiwan, introduced a U.S.-made, head-only adjustable base called The Wizard. It retails for $499 in a twin. “Our hope is to put an adjustable base under every mattress,” said Patti Ark, U.S. general manager. “Our tag line is ‘The World’s First Adjustable Base at a Flat Foundation Price’. ” Ergomotion, which has headquarters in Santa Barbara, Calif., also unveiled a more affordable adjustable base. The Series 100 twin bed base retails for about $499. Company President Kelly Clenet said it has the visual appeal and functionality of more expensive bases.
“Set-up time is minimal and no tools are needed, which really resonates well with retailers,” Clenet said. Touting top-of-bed Top-of-bed accessories introductions and line expansions were headliners in Las Vegas, with pillows in the starring role. At licensing group Englander, which is partnering with T3 Recovery Products to manufacture and market the three-model Ironman mattress line, the spotlight was on the companion T3 pillow line. The pillows are filled with extruded latex “oodles” mixed with fiber. They are manufactured by pillow maker Perfect Fit and, like the T3 mattresses, are covered with trademarked Celliant fabric, which is said to improve blood oxygen levels. South Bay International paired its new Jane Seymour Designs mattress collection with matching pillows in two
styles. Featuring ventilated and perforated 5-pound visco-elastic, they carry a suggested retail of about $70. Glideaway added nine new pillows to its Sleep Harmony brand. Offerings include a value visco-elastic contour pillow, a high-loft fiber pillow and a ventilated memory-foam pillow with a bamboo knit cover, at a wide range of retails from $9.95 to $99.95. Sedona Comfort showed three pillow profiles, including the contoured Synergy3 Zone Pillow which “satisfies every sleep position,” Sasso said. Retail prices range from $75 to $120. A $2,000 pillow order from Dormia qualifies retailers for a free display unit created to help them sell more pillows. “When a consumer leaves with a pillow under their arm, there is less buyer’s remorse and fewer order cancellations,” Zippelli said. Shelton, Conn.-based latex and
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pillow supplier Latex International introduced its Pillows for the Body, a line of luxury mattress toppers in latex and temperature-regulating Celsion latex, with retails between $299 and $499 in queen and king sizes. The toppers are available in 2-inch and 3-inch thicknesses and two levels of firmness. Pure LatexBLISS paired its new latex bed line with an “outboarded pillowtop,” a separate mattress topper available in five densities. “These are all the rage in Europe,” Ling said. “You can buy one and use it with our beds, or not. It’s a firmer bed without it.” The growing bed bug problem in parts of the United States is proving a boon for mattress protection sales—already a growing category in the wake of concerns about avoiding allergens and maintaining mattress warranties. “For the last two years our main
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Next-generation foam Ecomfort Mattress, an Anatomic Global brand, rolled out EcoMemoryFoam in five beds. The foam is an open-cell formula that doesn’t retain heat, said David Farley (left), Anatomic Global president and chief executive officer, and Jeff Scorziell, Ecomfort Mattress president.
push has been on our bed bug product,” said Sidney Stern, vice president of Haverford, Pa.-based Protect-A-Bed. “We consider ourselves a health-solution company.”
The mattress protection company’s AllerZip, with a patented zipper locking system, retails for $129 in a queen cover. It’s selling well at the big retail chains, as well as pest control companies that use the encasement after treating a home for bed bugs, the company said. FabricTech International has taken its operations to “the next level,” increasing its sales force and redesigning its point-of-purchase and packaging to open more than 1,000 retail doors, said Arnold Hershbain, chairman and chief executive officer of the Cedar Grove, N.J.-headquartered company. In addition to its bed bug-proof Total Encasement mattress and pillow protectors, the company now offers an organic cotton line that retails for $149 in a queen cover; pillow covers are $39. Also new are StainGuard quilted mattress and pillow covers, retailing for $59 and $19, respectively. BT
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IndustryNews Simmons selling to Serta’s owners, plans bankruptcy
A
tlanta-based mattress maker Simmons has agreed to be sold to an investment group led by Ares Management LLC and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which also own National Bedding Co., the largest manufacturer of bedding under the Serta brand name. The deal, valued at $760 million, caps a lengthy financial restructuring process at Simmons that began last fall. Simmons announced that the restructuring and sale will reduce its total debt from approximately $1 billion to approximately $450 million and said it will emerge from the process with a stronger balance sheet and increased financial flexibility. Under the restructuring plan, all vendors, suppliers, employees and senior lenders will be paid in full, the company said, while holders of Simmons’ senior subordinated notes will be entitled to receive their pro rata share of $190 million in cash. Holders of Simmons’ discount notes will be entitled to receive their pro rata share of $15 million in cash. The company said a significant majority of its senior subordinated and discount note holders are in support of the plan. Simmons began formally soliciting votes from its creditors on Oct. 14. The process will end Nov. 12 and the company will then begin Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings to confirm the prepackaged plan. The bankruptcy filings will not include Simmons subsidiaries in Canada and Puerto Rico, but they are included in the purchase agreement. “The purchase agreement we have executed and the support we have secured from our note holders for this restructuring plan underscore the strength of the Simmons
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brand, our strong performance in the marketplace and the value of the strategic and operational investments we have made in our business, people and processes over the past several years,” said Steve Fendrich, Simmons president and chief operating officer. Simmons said it will continue to conduct business as usual during the restructuring and has arranged $35 million in debtor-in-possession financing, administered by Deutsche Bank Trust Co. The equity firms said they plan to run Simmons and Serta as “separate and distinct” companies. The Simmons purchase is “a complementary investment to our existing holding in Serta. We believe that the resiliency Simmons Bedding
has shown during these turbulent times is a sign of its strength,” said Bennett Rosenthal, senior partner at Ares Management. Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Serta released a tandem statement saying that is does not anticipate any changes to its day-to-day business as a result of the deal and reiterated that the agreement “clearly states” that the owners intend to “keep Serta and Simmons separate and distinct, and to continue to have them compete in the market and execute on their business plans with their existing management teams.” The deal is under review by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and is subject to customary terms and conditions, as well as confirmation of the plan by the bankruptcy court.
Select Comfort, Sterling reach agreement On Oct. 5, air bed maker and retailer Select Comfort reached a new agreement with Sterling Partners that allows the private equity firm to invest about $10 million in exchange for ownership of about 9% of the Minneapolisbased company’s common stock. Under terms of the agreement, Sterling Partners, which has offices in Baltimore and Chicago, has the right through June 2010 to invest $10 million in exchange for 2.5 million shares of the company’s common stock priced at $4 per share and warrants to purchase 2 million shares of the company’s common stock at an exercise price of $0.01 per share. Select Comfort can require the investment upon securing an acceptable extended credit agreement from its lenders. The new agreement terminates and releases all claims to a previous purchase agreement that was rejected in August by Select Comfort shareholders, the company said. That deal would have allowed Sterling Partners to purchase 52% of the company’s stock at a price of $0.70 per share. “This agreement positions us to pursue additional capital, which, combined with the Sterling investment, will strengthen our financial position and increase our financial flexibility,” said Bill McLaughlin, Select Comfort president and chief executive officer. “In addition to exploring additional financing alternatives for the company, we continue to negotiate with our lenders to secure a permanent financing agreement.”
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IndustryNews
Sealy reports third-quarter income rises, sales dip
M
attress major Sealy announced that net sales for its fiscal third quarter were $349.6 million compared to $405 million for the same period in 2008, a decrease of 13.7%. Operating income at the Archdale, N.C.-based company rose to $39.2 million, an increase of $7 million or 21.6% over the same quarter of the previous year. Thirdquarter net income rose to $12.1 million versus net income of $10.9 million for the comparable period a year ago. “While the global macroeconomic and retail environments remain challenging, we believe our focus on the aspects of our business that we can control is paying off,” said Larry Rogers, Sealy president and chief executive officer. “One prominent example of this is the success that we are seeing in the
34 | BedTimes | November 2009
luxury bedding market with our new Stearns & Foster line.” Rogers continued: “We were pleased with the results from the continued execution of our 2009 strategic initiatives to grow profitable market share, improve our gross margins, permanently reduce our operating cost structure and maximize our financial flexibility. These actions have all contributed to the year-over-year and sequentially improving results that we are reporting.” Total U.S. net sales were $256.8 million, a decrease of 13.3% from the third quarter of fiscal 2008. Wholesale domestic net sales, which exclude third-party sales from Sealy’s component plants, were $251.8 million, compared to $289 million in the third quarter of 2008. A weak retail environment nega-
tively impacted domestic revenue performance, the company said. In the United States, wholesale average unit selling price increased 0.1% while unit volume declined 12.9% on a yearover-year basis. International net sales decreased $16 million, or 14.7%, from the third quarter of 2008 to $92.8 million. Excluding the effects of currency fluctuation, international net sales declined 4.3% from the third quarter of 2008. The drop was primarily due to declines in finished goods sales in Europe and, to a lesser extent, the weak retail environment in Latin America, the company said. Gross profits decreased 10.9% to $146.1 million, compared to $164.1 for the same period a year ago.
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IndustryNews
Basofil Solutions now called Alessandra Yarns
A
s part of its new direction, Basofil Solutions has changed its name to Alessandra Yarns LLC. The Hickory, N.C.-based supplier began as a converter selling finished sleeves and covers to the bedding industry and others, but now its core business and primary focus is the spinning and
marketing of FR and other yarns utilizing the patented Alessandra technology, the company said. “With our complete focus on Alessandra yarns, we can concentrate on exposing the entire flame-resistant market to the products that have been successfully manufactured and sold
using the Alessandra systems and yarns,” said Nathan Dry, president and chief executive officer. “Efforts are under way to broaden the use of Alessandra FR yarns in bedding and top-of-bed, as well as in upholstery, protective apparel, filtration and transportation.” Dry said that Alessandra Yarns is “separate and distinct” from Basofil Fibers, the manufacturer of Basofil FR fiber used by a range of FR suppliers, including Alessandra, which uses it in some yarns.
Shorts Mattress sales dip again The number of bedding units shipped in the United States fell 7.6% in August over the previous year, continuing a long string of declines that dates back to mid-2008. But the single-digit drop was less than in recent months. The International Sleep Products Association’s monthly Bedding Barometer showed that the dollar value of shipments fell 13.4% in August and the average unit selling price dropped 6.3%. The Bedding Barometer reports the sales activity of 18 U.S. mattress producers representing 45.5% of unit shipments.
CPSC updates testing lab list The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has updated its list of testing laboratories that offer the open-flame mattress testing that manufacturers and importers use to test for compliance with the federal 16 CFR Part 1633 standard. The list can be found at www.cpsc.gov/ businfo/mattress.aspx. A list of testing labs also is available on the International Sleep Products Association’s Web site, www.sleepproducts.org.
36 | BedTimes | November 2009
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Englander signs licensee in Australia M
attress licensing group Englander has inked a deal with Englander Australia, a co-op of four Australian mattress producers that have united to manufacture and market the Englander brand across the continent of Australia. The new licensee group has manufacturing fa-
cilities in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Talks with Australian mattress manufacturers began at the February Las Vegas Market and the deal was finalized at the September market, said Kevin Toman, Englander president. “We are aggressively seeking new
international licensees to partner with the second-oldest brand in the U.S.,” Toman said. “With Australia now, as well as Canada, China, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Middle East, we are well on our way to establishing Englander in the global bedding arena.”
Shorts McRoskey hosts B&B stay San Francisco-based mattress maker McRoskey Mattress Co. recently offered a complimentary two-night stay at two bed-andbreakfasts in the area with every mattress purchase. Both inns—Dancing Coyote Beach Cottages and The Parsonage Bed and Breakfast—are outfitted with McRoskey mattresses, a fact that inspires many guests to add a visit to the McRoskey showroom to their San Francisco itinerary, said Joan Hull, co-owner of The Parsonage. The promotion ran Sept. 15-Oct. 11.
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SLEEP IN AN IDEAL ROOM CLIMATE
OrganicPedic wins award
THERMIC™ is a patented temperature regulation solution applied in mattress fabrics. THERMIC™ ensures that the ideal climate between 82-86°F (28-30°C) is maintained in the sleeping environment.
The Terra OrganicPedic mattress by Organic Mattresses Inc. won a “best in the bedding category” award at the Innovative Green Design Awards competition sponsored by New York House magazine. The Terra mattress has a natural Talalay latex core and comfort layers. The bed’s fabric and fiber components include U.S.-grown certified organic cotton and California-produced “cruelty-free” Eco-Wool. Winners were chosen based on the use of “green” components, sustainable manufacturing methods, reduced carbon footprint, innovation and design. OMI is based in Yuba City, Calif.
ENHANCE YOUR LIFE. Celliant™ is the world’s first and only technical performance fiber that is clinically proven to enhance oxygen levels in the body. Increased oxygen levels have been proven to relieve pain, promote quicker healing, heighten athletic performance, improve sleep quality and improve overall wellness. Celliant™ fiber is specially formulated to be knit or woven into a wide range of apparel and bedding products. Deslee Textiles and T3, owner of the Iron Man brand, are bringing this exclusive offer to the US market.
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09-10-2009 00:40:07 BedTimes | November 2009 | 37
IndustryNews
Jamison moves into China with partnership M
attress manufacturer Jamison, with headquarters in Brentwood, Tenn., has launched an export program to China in partnership with a Chinese distributor and retailer, Jiang Su Sunshine Textiles Co. Ltd., based in Jiangsu province. The exclusive partnership enables Jamison and Sunshine Textiles to provide Jamison-brand sleep products to China’s growing hospitality and retail sectors, said Frank Gorrell III, Jamison president. “The explosive growth China is now experiencing, coupled with projections for the country’s increasing tourism and consumerism, provide tremendous opportunities to grow our business overseas in both the contract and residential segments,” he said.
38 | BedTimes | November 2009
Jamison is exporting five of its best-selling luxury beds in its Hospitality collection, plus the top-of-the-line Diplomat model in its retail Crest collection. The contract products include three innerspring and two all-foam models with 6- and 8-inch cores. The beds feature layers of high-density foams, damask covers and a hardwood grid-top
base. The Diplomat—aimed at presidential suite-level rooms—uses encased coils, foam encasement, Talalay latex, cashmere and a low-profile box spring. Sunshine Textiles is a textile and apparel producer with 25,000 employees, additional manufacturing in Indonesia and Bangladesh and retail outlets that sell home products and accessories.
Short Sleep Country USA honored Seattle-based retailer Sleep Country USA was named Top Corporate Philanthropist and Healthy Community Corporate Champion by the Puget Sound Business Journal and The Seattle Foundation. The awards were given in recognition of the Sleep Country Foster Kids program, which conducts ongoing drives and events through its 70 stores that benefit more than 26,000 foster children in Washington and Oregon states.
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IndustryNews
Shorts
Wickline Bedding files Chapter 7 bankruptcy Mattress manufacturer Wickline Bedding, based in Escondido, Calif., filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation on Aug. 27 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in San Diego. The company was owned and operated by the Malkiewicz family for 30 years. Principal owner and founder, Ray Malkiewicz; his three sons, Mike, Jim and Mark; and son-in-law Tony Colantono were all involved in managing the business. The company manufactured the Sleep Therapy, Sleep Care, Back Therapy and Simply Kids brands at its 60,000-square-foot facility in San Diego County. Major retail customers in 13 states included Jerome’s, Sit ’n Sleep, Sleep America and FAMSA. At its peak of operations in 2004, the company’s sales were $14 million. All assets are scheduled for liquidation at auction on Nov. 10. But, as Jim Malkiewicz told BedTimes, the trustee would prefer to sell the assets as a single purchase and a number of parties have expressed an interest in doing so. “This has been a sad, stressful and humbling experience and, while it is a not a good situation for our suppliers, perhaps something good can come of this if a buyer will fire up the business again, put our employees back to work and takes advantage of our 30 years of building strong customer relationships,” Malkiewicz said.
Novo Sleep revamps Web site Novo Sleep Systems, a mattress and sleep accessories manufacturer with headquarters in Surrey, British Columbia, has launched a redesigned Web site promoting its seven product lines—Novobasics, Novopure, Novotex, Novolux, Novosuite, Novoshield and Novokids. The site, www.novosleep.com, includes a “Customize Your Sleep” feature that recommends products based on consumers’ answers to an online questionnaire, a printable shopping list and a dealer locator. Novo Sleep Systems is a privately owned sister company of mattress maker Restwell Sleep Products and sleep accessories supplier Novo Textiles.
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Maxime Knitting Mills is a North American custom manufacturer of circular knits, serving major mattress manufacturers on a global scale. For the last 25 years, Maxime Knitting Mills has produced a variety of knit solutions for manufacturers and strives to offer a wide selection of knitted fabrics that reflect our highest standards of quality and innovation.Through great design and top quality materials, we proudly present to you our complete collection of mattress ticking which includes various styles, colors and materials. V.P. Sales and Marketing | Lorne Romoff lromoff@maximeknitting.com | Cell: 514-265-8782 828 Deslauriers Street | Montreal, Quebec | H4N 1X1 (Canada) Tel: 514-336-0445 | Fax: 514-336-7458 | www.maximeknitting.com
40 | BedTimes | November 2009
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Porter adds CinchLoc to gusset machine GBS offers bed bug protection Mattress and pillow protection supplier GBS Enterprises announced results from product testing by Snell Scientifics Entomological Laboratory in Barnesville, Ga., showing its Allergy Sentry Mattress Encasement is an effective bed bug barrier. Bed bugs inside an encased mattress are unable to escape or feed through the mattress cover’s fabric, seams or zipper, meaning that following bed bug treatment, mattress owners can keep their mattresses without worrying about re-infestion, according to the Sutton, Neb.-based company.
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P
orter International, part of Leggett & Platt’s Global Systems Group, has developed a machine that applies CinchLoc drawstring to the center line of a pillow-top gusset while creating the mattress border. The drawstring material can be quickly pulled tight during the build-up process to form ruffled gusset corners. Drawstring doings Porter International uses CinchLoc The patent-pending process drawstring from Mätrex with its PCL-1000 automated adds CinchLoc drawstring from gusset machine to form ruffles at a bed’s corners. Mätrex, another division of Carthage, Mo.-based L&P, to the center line of a gusset using the PCL-1000 automated gusset machine. An operator can quickly build a “bucket” consisting of the single-sided bed base and mattress border without the time-consuming effort of marking corners and adding sewn ruffle pleats, the company said. Pulling the drawstring tight forms ruffles only in the corners of the bed gusset with no additional stitching, measuring or positioning, according to the company.
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IndustryNews
Vegas poker event aids charity
P
oker enthusiasts raised more than $6,000 for Autism Speaks during the September Las Vegas Market. Organizers plan to make the fund-raiser an annual event. Autism Speaks is a New York-based advocacy
group that raises awareness about autism spectrum disorders and funds research into causes, prevention and treatment. The event’s co-hosts and organizers were Doug Krinsky of Restonic; Stuart Carlitz, Eclipse International and Eastman House; Joe Amato, Mattress Matters; and Randy Coconis, Coconis Furniture. Karl Glassman of Leggett & Platt and David Wachendorfer of Tempur-Pedic also made donations and supported the event, organizers said. Money was raised through entry fees, donations and in-kind donations. Jeff Hosking and Jason Armetta, both of PMD Furniture Direct, were the night’s big winners. Each donated his winnings to the charity.
Shorts Mattress Firm selects ad agency Houston-based retailer Mattress Firm has chosen advertising agency FKM as its agency of record. Selected after a six-month review of more than 100 agencies, FKM was awarded creative and broadcast media responsibilities for the bedding chain, which has 525 locations in 21 states.
Select Comfort adds more Outlast Outlast Technologies, a creator of phase-changing fabrics, fibers and coatings based in Boulder, Colo., announced that Minneapolis-based mattress manufacturer and retailer Select Comfort has added a temperature-regulating In Balance sheet set and lightweight blanket to its line of products featuring Outlast technology.
Pacific Spring Inc. An American company importing springs from Cambodia 6.5” H 312 Bonnel units 7” H 336 Bonnel units 8” H pocket units
Pacific Spring Inc. Victor Nguyen, VP of Marketing & Sales 6418 E. Washington Blvd. Commerce Ca. 90040 Tel: (626) 272-8882 • Fax: (626) 226-4166 Email: pacificspring@ymail.com
42 | BedTimes | November 2009
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..
Baumer of America shows off products A
lbrecht Bäumer, a manufacturer of machinery and equipment for the foam industry, recently held an open house and Oktoberfest at is U.S. subsidiary, Bäumer of America, in Towaco, N.J. The company displayed its latest machinery, including the OFS-H Twincut, a high-performance horizontal contour cutting machine that can be run with either a circulating or oscillating knife. Bäumer of America also showed the OFS-VW Eco, a vertical contour cutter that uses wire. It was developed for the American market to cut materials such as polyester nonwovens. Machinery specialists presented the company’s latest software solutions for automating cutting lines and complete plants, as well as ideas for more efficient foam processing. The event, Oct. 15-16, included an Oktoberfest with German food, beer and music on the first evening.
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Therapedic inks India licensee
Therapedic International, a licensing group headquartered in Princeton, N.J., has signed an agreement with Restolex to represent the Therapedic brand throughout India. Restolex is based in Bangalore. “We are pleased to have an outstanding manufacturer with a heritage of quality production represent our brand in such an important part of the world,” said Gerry Borreggine, Therapedic president and chief executive officer. “We are looking to increase the brand stature of Therapedic by engaging critical partners like Restolex in every corner of the world, but especially in key countries like India.” Pradeep Kuruvilla, Restolex managing director, said: “We are pleased to have not only joined a brand with a great international history, but also to become part of a brand that has a very compelling marketing plan in place for today.”
BedTimes | November 2009 |
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A. Lava & Son Co. Advance Fiber Tech. Corp. (AFT) American & Efird, Inc. American Nonwovens Inc Arch Chemicals, Inc. Ateja Tritunggal Atlanta Attachment Co., Inc. Avery Dennison Corporation – Fastener Division BarretteWood Baumer of America, Inc. Bechik Products, Inc. Bekaert Textiles USA Inc. Black Bros. Company Bo-Buck Mills, Inc. BoMei-Changfu Ltd. BRK Group LLC Bruin Plastics Co., Inc. C.J. Hodder Lumber Company Carpenter Company Chamay Mattress Ticking Manufacture (Foshan) Co., LTD. Chem-Tick Coated Fabrics, Inc. Coats North America Costa International Creative Ticking CT Nassau Tape – Ticking CTL Deslee Textiles USA Inc. Diamond Needle Corp. Diamond Spring Company – USA Dunlap Sunbrand International Eclipse International/Eastman House Edge-Sweets Company Edgewater Machine Co., Inc. Enkev Group Enriquez Materials & Quilting Inc. Entex Textil S.L Fecken-Kirfel America Inc. Feutre National Felt Inc. First Film Extruding, LLC/Balcan Plastics Ltd. Flexible Foam Products, Inc. FMA Trading LLC FXI Foamex Innovations Global Systems Group Harvard Manufacturing Enterprises, Inc.
Henkel Corporation Herculite Products, Inc. Hickory Springs Mfg. Co., Inc. Ideal Quilting Limited Innofa Integrity Software Solutions Jacquard Textile James Cash Machine Co., Inc. Jomel Industries, Inc. Jones Fiber Products, Inc. Knickerbocker Bed Co., Inc. Komar Alliance Lady Americana Lampe USA Inc. Latex International Latexco Lava USA Leggett & Platt, Inc. Leigh Fibers Inc. Liberty Threads N.A. Inc. Luen Tai Group (HK) Limited Maxime Knitting Inc. Milliken & Company N.V. Monks International S. A. Nantong Healthcare Foam Natura World Inc. Performance Fabrics & Fibers Plastic Monofil Co. Ltd. Precision Custom Coatings Precision Fabrics Group, Inc. Response Computer Group, Inc. Restonic Mattress Corp. SABA North America, L.L.C. Shanghai Latex Industrial Co. Ltd. Simalfa Soltex, Inc. Springs Creative Products Group LLC Spuhl AG Stork Twin City Testing Sunkist Chemical Machinery Ltd Tai Wa Hong (Macau) Tekscan Inc. The Govmark Organization, Inc. Tietex International, Ltd. Uni-Source Textile Vita Nonwovens William T. Burnett & Co., Inc. Wright of Thomasville, Inc. Zhejiang Huajian Mattress Machinery Limited
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2009
ISPA
Wednesday, Nov. 4 3-6:30 p.m. Registration Open Sponsored by Latex International 5-7 p.m. Welcome Reception Enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres while you catch up with old friends and make new connections at this fun-filled conference opener. Sponsored by FXI Foamex Innovations Thursday, Nov. 5 7:30-5 p.m. Registration Open 7:30-9 a.m. Networking Breakfast and Exhibits Sponsored by Carpenter Co. 9-10:30 a.m. ISPA Welcome and Keynote “Redefining the American Consumer: New Research Introduces You to the ‘Grounded’ Consumer” Has the current recession permanently altered consumers’ spending patterns? Provocative new research from ContextBased Research Group and Carton Donofrio Partners suggests fundamental changes in the way Americans think of themselves and the purchases they make. How might these changes affect the products we make, how they are marketed and the retailer’s opportunities and risks in this new environment? Join us for an in-depth, interactive presentation about this thought-provoking research. Speakers Robbie Blinkoff, managing partner and principal anthropologist, Context-Based Research Group Jamie Rice, chief strategy officer, Carton Donofrio Partners Sponsored by Leggett & Platt 10:30-11 a.m. Break and Exhibits
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CONFERENCE SCHEDULE 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Business Session “Marketing Through Social Media: Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore the Social Networking Explosion” Social networking has forever changed the way people use technology to interact with others. Innovative companies are listening closely and delivering products and services based on these two-way conversations. How can you tap into these opportunities to engage current customers and reach new ones? This discussion by experts in the field will help you understand how social networking is changing the landscape and how you can use it to grow your business. Moderator Lissa Coffey, 2009 Better Sleep Council spokeswoman Panelists Erik Qualman, global vice president for online marketing, EF Education Jonathan Ressler, social media expert 12:15-1:30 p.m. Networking Lunch and Exhibits 1:30-2:45 p.m. Business Session “Tapping the ‘Green’ Market: Who are Green Consumers and What Do They Really Want?” The green movement is clearly here to stay as more and more consumers base their purchasing decisions on how eco-friendly a product is or how committed a company is to environmental responsibility. Who are these consumers and how can you respond to their wants and needs? Join us for a lively panel discussion covering these questions and more, as well as how this movement is permanently affecting the mattress marketplace. Moderator Will Ander, senior partner, McMillan Doolittle Panelists Roger Cunningham, president, The Bed Store Joe Paviglianti of SOLinc. John Zapata, senior vice president of distribution, Rooms To Go Sponsored by Flexible Foam Products
2:45-3:15 p.m. Break and Exhibits 3:15-5 p.m. ‘Defining’ ISPA Roundtable Discussions As we refine our mission, voice your opinion and let us know how ISPA can best serve your needs. 5:30-7 p.m. Poolside Networking Reception After a busy day, join us for a festive reception under the stars! Sponsored by Natura World Friday, Nov. 6 7:30-9:30 a.m. Registration Open 8-9:30 a.m. Networking Breakfast and Exhibits 9:30-11 a.m. Business Session “Meeting Customer Expectations: Selling the Experience is What will Keep Her Shopping” Mattress retailing is at a point in the industry’s lifecycle where selling the experience is becoming as important as the product assortment offered, says retail marketing and merchandising expert Marty Walker. The former vice president of visual merchandising and store design for Pier 1 challenges mattress retailers and their manufacturer partners to move beyond a traditional preoccupation with products and features to focus on what is truly important to the female customer: benefits, personal preferences, the process, choice, genuine service and celebrated purchase decisions. These are what will make the sale. Speaker Marty Walker, vice president of business development, Ermcar Inc. Sponsored by American & Efird Inc. Noon-5:30 p.m. ISPA Annual Golf Tournament (includes lunch) Conference Session Gifts Sponsored by Intertek * Program subject to change www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
Create a great first impression, NOT a body impression Reduce comfort returns and bring the luxury of latex right to surface of any mattress. • Resists body impressions up to 29% better than fiber and polyurethane • 20% more pressure relief than conventional quilting materials
®
1-800-LATEX-US x347
www.LatexIntl.com
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ISPA
SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS
2009 ISPA Industry Conference and Exhibition Sponsors Gold Sponsors FXI Foamex Innovations Rosetree Corporate Center II 1400 N. Providence Road, Suite 2000 Media, PA 19063-2076 U.S. Phone: 610-744-2300 Fax: 610-744-2185 www.fxi.com Email: moreinfo@fxi.com Contact: Maria Borromeo FXI, headquartered in Media, Pa., is the world’s leading producer of polyurethane foam-based solutions and specialty comfort products. The company services the bedding, furniture, carpet cushion and automotive markets and also manufactures high-performance polymers for diverse applications in the industrial, aerospace, defense, electronics and computer industries. For more information, visit the FXI Web site at www.fxi.com. Natura World One Natura Way Cambridge, Ontario N3C 0A4 Canada Phone: 519-651-2006 Fax: 519-651-1891 www.naturaworld.com Contact: Julia Rosien Founded in 1994 by the Rossdeutscher family, Natura is committed to nurturing healthy bodies, souls and the planet. By providing a nourishing night’s sleep through sustainable, earth-friendly materials and manufacturing, Natura truly is where nature meets nurture. It’s not a trend. It’s about aligning personal values with everyday actions. A good night’s sleep makes for happier, healthier people and, ultimately, a better planet. One source for all your specialty bedding: baby, juvenile, natural, organic, latex, memory
foam, wool, cotton, mattresses, pillows, comforters, mattress pads and toppers, adjustable beds, relaxation essentials and pets. Please visit www.naturaworld.com for more information.
Silver Sponsors
American & Efird Inc. P.O. Box 507 Mount Holly, NC 28120 U.S. Phone: 704-951-2246 Fax: 740-820-2857 www.amefird.com Email: salesusa@amefird.com Contact: Al Irvine Every customer’s challenge is different. Fortunately, we’re a different kind of company. A&E is a quality producer of high-performance sewing threads, embroidery threads and specialty engineered yarns. A&E is a global company located in 63 countries around the world. What sets A&E apart from our competitors is our focus on satisfying our customers. Our company goal is “to be the preferred supplier of threads and yarns by providing worldclass products and services to our customers.” Please visit our company Web site, www.amefird.com, where you can find more information on A&E including our “Global Code of Conduct” and our “Environmental Policy.” Carpenter Co. 5016 Monument Ave. Richmond, VA 23230-3620 U.S. Phone: 800-288-3830 Fax: 270-726-4147 www.carpenter.com Email: bob.steelman@carpenter.com Contact: Bob Steelman Carpenter Co. is the largest manufacturer of comfort cushioning in
the world. Since 1948, our focus has been on quality, technology and comfort. We manufacture a wide variety of polyurethane foam and polyester fiber comfort cushioning and often develop unique products to enhance your business. We are the world’s leader in research and development and continually strive to develop new products that meet our high standards, as well as those of our customers. You come in contact with Carpenter Co. every day. We make the carpet padding you walk on, the cushions you sit on and the bedding you sleep on. Flexible Foam Products Inc. P.O. Box 126 Spencerville, OH 45887 U.S. Phone: 419-647-4191 Fax: 419-647-4202 www.flexiblefoam.com Email: mcrowell@flexiblefoam.com Contact: Michael Crowell Flexible Foam Products Inc. is a leading polyurethane foam manufacturer that places strategic emphasis on solution technology and product development. Flexible Foam produces a full line of products for the furniture, carpet cushion, packaging and automotive industries with a concentrated focus on bedding products. We are one of the world’s largest suppliers of polyurethane foam, always on the cutting edge of technology and innovation. Through supply chain management, we work with our partners to supply the best products at the best price. Our sales and manufacturing facilities span the United States. This national presence provides quality assurance and timely service.
Company, product and service descriptions were provided by the companies. BedTimes does not endorse products or services.
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2009
SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS Intertek 70 Codman Hill Road Boxborough, MA 01719 U.S. Phone: 1-800-WORLDLAB 800-967-5352 www.intertek.com Email: icenter@intertek.com Contact: Jeannette Emmons Intertek is the leading international provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of global and local industries, including furniture and sleep products. Intertek is an OSHA Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL), an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Accredited Certification Body and U.S. Coast Guard approved, among others. We offer ANSI/BIFMA furniture testing, as well as UL, ASTM, NFPA, British Standards and IMO fire testing.
Throughout our network of accredited labs, we provide a variety of product testing and technical services, including safety testing and certification, flammability testing and performance testing, just to name a few. Latex International 510 River Road Shelton, CT 06484 U.S. Phone: 203-924-0700 Fax: 203-924-0699 www.latexintl.com Email: info@latexintl.com Contact: Kevin Stein Latex International (LI) is the world’s only producer of both molded Talalay latex pillows and mattress cores and continuous process latex. LI presents its patent-pending
ISPA CelsionTM temperature-regulating Talalay latex, which helps sleepers maintain a consistent body temperature throughout the night. This exclusive material absorbs heat energy released from the body, even under mattress quilting material. It re-uses this energy to help cool down a warm sleeper and warm up a cool sleeper. The company also offers classic Talatech® latex in eight firmness levels, as well as a 100% natural formulation, EverCloud® continuous process quiltable latex and NuFORM® slow recovery latex. Leggett & Platt 1 Leggett Road Carthage, MO 64836 U.S. Phone: 417-358-8131, Ext. 2706 Fax: 417-358-6257 www.leggett.com Email: heather.carlton@leggett.com Contact: Heather Carlton
IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE THAT COUNTS. Get all your bedding supplies from one source, Hickory Springs. As one of the nation’s leading suppliers to the furniture and bedding industries, Hickory Springs built its reputation on being THE source for all the bedding products you need. Every bedding component is constructed from top-quality materials in state-of the-art production facilities throughout the United States; Rigorously tested for superior quality and performance under the most demanding conditions, then shipped to you quickly and accurately through our nationwide distribution network. No matter what bedding product you’re looking for, it all comes together at Hickory Springs.
PO Box 819 • Hickory, NC 28603 (828) 328-2201 www.hickorysprings.com www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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Headquartered in Carthage, Mo., Leggett & Platt is a diversified manufacturer that conceives, designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products for customers worldwide. You may sleep on a Leggett innerspring or shop in a store that uses L&P shelving. Leggett & Platt products are all around you, making the products you use every day more comfortable, durable and life-enhancing. The company serves a broad suite of customers that comprise a Who’s Who of U.S. manufacturers and retailers. The 126-year-old firm is made up of 19 business units, 19,000 employee-partners and more than 160 manufacturing facilities located in 18 countries.
SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS Bronze Sponsors/ Exhibitors
Atlanta Attachment Co. 362 Industrial Park Drive Lawrenceville, GA 30046 U.S. Phone: 770-963-7369 Fax: 770-277-4199 www.atlatt.com Email: pfeagan@atlatt.com Contact: Hank Little or Pat Feagan Atlanta Attachment Co. is a manufacturer of industrial sewing equipment for the sleep products industry. Our products range from quilting to packaging and include: one-piece border system, pillow-top rufflers, tapeedge workstations, flangers, tufting, embroidery machines, FR tracking and
Know the score When you use SABA water-based adhesives, you can make sure the savings beat expenses with every unit
shop floor control systems. Eastman House/Eclipse International 1375 Jersey Ave. North Brunswick, NJ 08902 U.S.A Phone: 732-628-0800 Fax: 732-628-0803 www.eastmanhousemattress.com www.eclipsemattress.com Email: bedshop@aol.com Contact: Matthew Connolly or Stuart Carlitz Eastman House and Eclipse International are bedding manufacturers and licensors of each brand, functioning as marketing and manufacturing consultants to its licensees to help members reach new markets with scientifically advanced bedding systems. Eclipse, founded in
SABA’s adhesive monitoring system allows you to take control & track usage Make sure that every mattress you produce is a winner. SABA’s monitoring technology ensures sustainability and control over your adhesive application.This technology allows you to track real time adhesive consumption, along with production counts, so you always know the exact cost of the adhesive on a per unit basis. Join our winning, cost-effective team. Hit a grand slam of savings when you use SABA. See for yourself first hand how the SABA foam bonding adhesive system can save you money! l l l l l
Enjoy 20 to 50% reduction in adhesive costs All application equipment provided at no cost to you Highest performing water-based adhesive Cleaner and safer working environment Monitor and control adhesive usage
Contact SABA today for a risk-free 30 day testing period.
Call us at 810 824 4964
Email us at sales@saba-adhesives.com www.saba-adhesives.com SABA North America LLC 5420 Lapeer Road Kimball MI 48074 USA
SABA, dedicated to foam bonding Est. 1933: 76 years of strong bonds
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1905 in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Eastman House in 1866, have licensed the brands around the world. Eclipse, with over 200 trademarks worldwide, holds many patents for its sleep systems (Spinal Zone, Allergy Free, Zoned Technology, etc.) Eastman House is known for its ultra-premium product line. Our mission is to provide ongoing research, development and marketing innovation to produce unparalleled sleep products for “Healthy Sleep.” Enkev Group BV De Toek 2; P.O. Box 3 Volendam, 1130 AA The Netherlands Phone: 31-299-364355 Fax: 31-299-368409 www.enkev.com Email: sales@enkev.com Contact: Marc Dokter
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We are Enkev and we make quality products from natural fibers. Since our founding, we have become the leading processor of natural fibers. We make 100% natural filling materials for the mattress industry. We use the best natural sources to make our products. Nature constantly replenishes these raw materials, which are unsurpassed in resilience, durability and ventilation. Enkev supplies the complete environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic materials. These all-natural products go well with the skin; they are extremely comfortable. Our products therefore deliver excellent benefits to both your customer and the world we live in. We’re looking forward to meeting you at the ISPA Industry Conference and Exhibition in Bonita Springs, Fla.
2009
SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS
ISPA Estes Forwarding Worldwide 3901 W Broad St. Richmond, VA 23230-3962 U.S. Phone: 888-378-3724, Ext. 2924 Fax: 804-233-8520 Email: forwardinginfo@ estesforwarding.com www.estesforwarding.com Contact: Debbie Brown Estes Forwarding Worldwide offers a wide portfolio of services, including domestic air, domestic ground, international air, international ocean and customs brokerage to fulfill ISPA member transportation and shipping needs. To learn more about the discounted program for ISPA members, call Debbie Brown at 888378-3724, Ext. 2924 and mention that you are an ISPA member.
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Henkel Corp. 10 Finderne Ave. Bridgewater, NJ 08807 U.S. Phone: 800-797-4992 Fax: 847-289-2493 www.henkelna.com/industrial Email: tim.brown@us.henkel.com Contact: Tim Brown Henkel is a global leader in the development of adhesive, sealant and surface-treatment technologies. Our products are used daily in the manufacturing of durable, consumer and industrial goods. Our unique ability to create solutionoriented adhesive technologies provides multiple options for their use in the mattress and sleep products industry. Such technologies include water-based
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SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS contact and hot-melt adhesive products, which are environmentally and workplace friendly. Hickory Springs Mfg. Co. P.O. Box 128 Hickory, NC 28603 U.S. Phone: 828-328-2201 Fax: 828-328-2103 www.hickorysprings.com Email: rjanthony@hickorysprings.com Contact: Rick Anthony As one of the nation’s leading suppliers to the furniture and bedding industries, Hickory Springs has built its reputation on quality, service and variety. From more than 160 flexible polyurethane foam formulations to thousands of
construction fabrics, Hickory Springs is one of the largest producers of foam and distributors of nonwovens in the United States. In a state-of-the-art production facility, Hickory Springs draws its own tempered spring wire in a wide variety of gauges. From our manufacturing plants in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Michigan, we engineer each innerspring construction for superior performance. Remember: “It’s What’s Inside that Counts.” Intertek (See Silver Sponsor listing on Page 51.) The Israeli Processing Co. Ltd. P.O. Box 33 Yavne 81100 Israel Phone: 972-8-9439021, Ext. 203 Fax: 972-8-9438738 Email: ioron@ipc-yarns.co.il
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SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS www.ipc-yarns.co.il. Contact: I. Oron The Israeli Processing Co. (IPC) was established in 1925 and is the largest manufacturer in Israel of various types of sewing threads and synthetic weaving yarns, dominating the domestic market and exporting to about 40 countries around the globe. We pride ourselves on continuously maintaining high quality standards and pursuing the development of new and innovative products. We have developed a unique 100% PES FR sewing thread, patent pending in the United States, and have added it to the basket of threads we offer the mattress industry worldwide. Please access our Web site at www.ipc-yarns.co.il.
Jones Fiber Products Inc. P.O. Box 13212 Memphis, TN 38113 U.S. Phone: 901-948-4469 Fax: 901-948-4123 www.jonesfiber.com Email: aposner@jonesfiber.com Contact: Alan Posner Jones Fiber Products has been in the fiber business for over 50 years. Our management team has over 100 years of experience in the mattress and fiber industries. With four locations across the United States, we can supply all your fiber needs. We offer a line of bonded, nonbonded, needle-punched and organic battings. We produce a wide range of fire barriers, including inherent and
The
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Sudden Service™ Company
ISPA topically treated, to meet all mattress manufacturing needs. Our products are cellulose based, which means they are natural and durable. Contact us today at 877-685-5788 or email at solutions@jonesfiber.com. Latex International (See Silver Sponsor on Page 51.) Latexco LLC 975 Gerrard Road Lavonia, GA 30553 U.S. Phone: 866-528-3926 Fax: 706-356-8444 www.latexco.com Email: kca@latexco.com Contact: Kevin Callinan Latexco is a green, ecofriendly, family-owned company, offering a
09084091509
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complete line of the highest quality (no fillers or glue seams!) latex bedding components made with 50-plus years of latex production experience. Latexco latex is the most durable, most consistent and the highest density/quality domestically made latex available, leaving a small carbon footprint due to its high natural content and low energy processing technology. Latexco utilizes the exclusive LatexcoBelgium Latex Manufacturing Process. Exclusive components with more features and benefits are available to all mattress manufacturers. Latexco is the world’s largest latex bedding components manufacturer with six facilities on three continents. OHM Systems 10250 Chester Road Cincinnati, OH 45215 U.S.
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SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS Phone: 513-771-0008 Fax: 513-771-0101 www.ohmworld.com Email: sales@ohmworld.com Contact: Catherine Anbil OHM Bedding Software Application is a complete turnkey solution: accounting, operations, bill of material, scheduling, sales analysis, complete 16 CFR Part 1633 compliance integrated, report writer, executive dashboard, 24-7 Internet module and point of sales for retail extension. Completely Web-centric environment. OHM has been providing mattress manufacturers a total bedding software solutions since 1992. Clients include Serta, Spring Air, Sealy NZ, Comfort Solutions, Lady Americana, Restonic and many more worldwide. Inventory turns from 12 to 52 a year. Easy, quick
installation with proven, fast ROI. Special ISPA promotional offers at this year’s conference. Be sure to drop by OHM’s booth for full details. Radium Foam BV Fort Willemweg 61 Maastricht 6219 PA The Netherlands Phone: 31-433-288-729 Fax: 31-433-256-016 www.radiumfoam.nl Email: hvanhoeve@radiumfoam.nl Contact: Hanco van Hoeve Radium Foam has nearly 60 years experience in the production and marketing of Talalay latex. Our Talalay has a superior performance in terms of durability and comfort. It is our mission to supply top-end mattress manufacturers with the best Talalay latex for their top-of-the-range
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mattresses, toppers and pillows. Radium Foam has an exclusive distributor agreement with Carpenter Co. for the United States. We aim to be an excellent business partner and supplier with an outstanding track record of reliability, quality, design, product development and delivery. Features and benefits that make Talalay the best: open-cell structure, perfect body support, durable, hygienic. SABA North America 5420 Lapeer Road Kimdall, MI 48074 U.S. Phone: 810-824-4964 Fax: 810-824-4986 www.saba-adhesives.com Email: jimturner@saba-adhesives.com Contact: Jim Turner SABA is much more than just a supplier of water-based adhesives. SABA is a “know-how” center focusing on all direct
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and indirect aspects of your foam bonding processes. By adding this specialty knowledge to your expertise and experience, we guarantee you the best possible results in terms of efficiency, quality and safety. The integration of adhesive and application technology, along with engineering and consulting services, is the SABA approach. Maximum customer satisfaction is our drive and an optimal foam bonding process is what we deliver! SGS U.S. Testing Co. Inc. 1325 North 108th East Ave. Tulsa, OK 74012 U.S. Phone: 918-437-8333 Fax: 918-437-8487 www.sgs.com Email: brian.mcdonald@sgs.com Contact: Brian McDonald
2009
SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS
ISPA SGS Consumer Testing Services, a division of the SGS Group, is the world’s leading verification, testing and certification company. The company’s comprehensive testing, product inspection, process assessment and technical services cover the entire supply chain from product development to retailing for electrical products, wireless products, soft-line products, hard-line products and food products. SGS Group has more than 50,000 employees and more than 1,000 offices and laboratories in 140 countries. Let SGS’s ISO 17025-accredited laboratories assist you in all matters of flammability testing for virtually any product line.
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Simalfa 15 Lincoln St. Hawthorne, NJ 07506 U.S. Phone: 973-423-9266 Fax: 973-423-9264 www.simalfa.com Email: harry@simalfa.com Contact: Harry Bajckian Simalfa water-based adhesives are specifically designed for the bedding industry and offer the greatest value on the planet. Period. Our cutting-edge green technology increases profitability, and instantly bonds foam encased, foam core and pillow-top mattresses. The patented Free Flowing System renders complicated delivery methods such as pressurized systems and pumps useless, clearing valuable floor space for what’s
SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS intended: production! No matter what your needs, from automation to efficiency controls, we can show you how to maximize production speed while minimizing costs. Ask us about our Cost Monitoring System (CMS) and SIMALFA 357. GREENGUARD Certified. Springs Creative-Firegard 300 Chatham Ave., Suite 100 Rock Hill, SC 29730 U.S. Phone: 803-324-6513 Fax: 803-324-6950 www.firegard.com Email: george.booth@springscreative.com Contact: George Booth Springs Creative Products Group presents Firegard®—a comprehensive line of flame-barrier solutions made without topical chemical treatments. We feature knitted and woven interliners
and quiltable barriers in various widths and weights for virtually any mattress configuration. We also offer printed tickings and our Integrated Barrier System™ that combines a decorative cover fabric with a built-in flame barrier for a one-step manufacturing process. Our knits are ideal for foam mattress constructions, providing excellent responsiveness to body temperature with stretch and recovery to match the contour of the foam. And there’s much more to come. Firegard: It’s What’s Next. Now.™ Stork Twin City Testing 662 Cromwell Ave. St. Paul, MN 55114 U.S. Phone: 888-645-TEST Fax: 651-659-7348 www.storksmt.com
NOW IS NOT THE TIME...
TO THINK ABOUT FLAMMABILITY TESTING Quality expectations and regulatory requirements become more complex and stringent everyday. Failure to comply could result in unexpected cost’s, create an unfavorable brand image and most important, harm end users. SGS maintains accredited labs across the country and our experienced technical experts can help you meet your flammability testing needs. SGS is the world’s leading Inspection, Verification, Testing and Certification Company. So when you need to be sure, trust the experts. For more information visit www.us.sgs.com or call 800-777-TEST
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SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS Email: info.tct@us.stork.com Contact: Brent Larson Stork Twin City Testing operates the only complete and independent bedding evaluation laboratory in the world. Our mattress testing capabilities include ASTM F1566 durability tests: Cornell evaluation, Rollator testing, firmness and impact. Our experts conduct advanced XSENSOR interface pressure imaging with live subjects. Large and small flammability tests available include the federal open-flame 16 CFR Part 1633 test, 16 CFR Part 1632 cigarette testing, Boston IX-11, several California TB tests, among others, as well as material properties and performance tests on foam, fabric, metals, wood and advanced material composites. Stork engineers will work with you to develop a customized testing program.
Therapedic International 103 College Road East Princeton, NJ 08540 U.S. Phone: 800-314-4433 Fax: 609-720-0797 www.therapedic.com Email: gb@therapedic.com Contact: Gerry Borreggine Therapedic International is a company of over 50 bedding manufacturers throughout the world that make, market and sell bedding products under the Therapedic brand. Since 1957, Therapedic-branded products have been synonymous with quality, value, and innovation in the sleep industry. In 2005, the company began a brand partnership with Kathy Ireland Home. Today, that brand partnership continues to grow stronger as the Kathy Ireland
hello feel natural
ISPA Home product assortment is expanded with new lines and items added this year. Therapedic has been called the fastest growing bedding brand in 2009. The company looks to repeat its extraordinary performance in 2010 and beyond. Tietex 3010 N. Blackstock Road Spartanburg, SC 29301 U.S. Phone: 864-595-7778 Fax: 864-574-9440 www.tietex.com Email: wwallace@tietex.com Contact: Wade Wallace Tietex is a global manufacturer and marketer of nonwoven and traditional textiles. Our technologies in fiber and fabric forming enable us to develop
We are Enkev, and we make quality products from natural fibres. Since our foundation we have become the leading processor of natural fibres. We make 100% natural filling materials for the mattress industry. We use the best natural sources to make our products. Nature constantly replenishes these raw materials, which are unsurpassed in resilience, durability and ventilation. Enkev supplies the complete environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic materials. These all natural products go well with our skin; they are extremely comfortable. Our products therefore deliver excellent benefits to both your customer and the world we live in.
We’re looking forward to meeting you in Bonita Springs.
natural fibres ENKEV_Ad_177,8 x 123,8mm.indd 1
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unique solutions for the bedding industry. Our Mattress Solutions group is the leader in FR performance fabrics and consulting for 16 CFR Part 1633 compliance. Our SleepFree family of FR solutions includes filler cloths, prints, knit socks and comprehensive consulting and quality assurance assistance. In addition to the bedding industry, our advanced fabric products are used in athletic footwear, roofing, home furnishings and various technical end-uses. Underwriters Laboratories 333 Pfingsten Road Northbrook, IL 60062 U.S. Phone: 847-272-8800 www.ul.com Email: kathy.p.fakas@us.ul.com Contact: Kathy Fakas
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SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit, thirdparty testing and certification organization with more than 110 years of product testing expertise. Today, we remain at the forefront of fire protection and testing technology. UL provides flammability testing services, as well as surveillance services, that manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and consumers need to feel confident that mattresses sold into the marketplace are compliant with current requirements. UL offers programs for both manufacturers and suppliers. UL’s Mark is highly recognized by authorities and consumers. We welcome the opportunity to assist you in testing and demonstrating ongoing compliance to state and federal regulations.
Wright of Thomasville P.O. Box 1069 Thomasville, NC 27361 U.S. Phone: 800-678-9019 Fax: 336-476-8554 www.wrightlabels.com Email: salesinfo@wrightlabels.com Contact: Don Wright Wright of Thomasville has been supplying the mattress industry for over 45 years with large-format in-store signage, window clings, floor graphics, woven labels, law and flammability tags, top-of-bed pillows, shams and foot protectors. From design to distribution, we’ve got your graphics covered.
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A new day is dawning for comfort and the environment...
...and BioFlex Hybrid foams are leading the way.
It’s your world. It’s your choice. Choose BioFlex™ Hybrid Foam made by Flexible Foam Products, Inc; it supports the American farmer, meets consumers concern for “greener” products and helps you make the responsible choice for our environment, while reducing the need for foreign crude oil.
BioFlex Hybrid Foam is made with a patented process called EnviroFlex Technology that improves the foam’s core structure, thus creating a more supportive, resilient and comfortable cushion. EnviroFlex is an award winning environmental process with independent lab testing to confirm its superior performance over conventionally produced foam cushion.
www.flexiblefoam.com 419.647.4191
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ISPA
GROUNDED CONSUMERS
Research: Consumers grounded by bad economy Changes to spending habits will be long term By Patricia Frank
O
ur culture and economy are going through a rite of passage. From anthropology, we know that no true rite of passage comes without pain, but we also know great opportunities emerge from these moments of transformation,” says Robbie Blinkoff, managing partner and principal anthropologist of Context-Based Research Group in Baltimore. Blinkoff’s firm and its marketing arm, Carton Donofrio Partners, recently conducted consumer research to document how consumer mindsets, behaviors and buying habits have changed since the economy tanked in fall 2008. They are using the findings to help businesses plan and implement strategies to respond at this critical juncture. The research took place in the urban centers and suburbs of five U.S. cities: Baltimore; Lexington, Ky.; Miami; New York; and San Antonio. In-depth interviews were conducted in coffee shops and homes, as well as where the rubber meets the road—inside neighborhood stores and shopping centers. The discoveries are eye-opening.
“
Implications for future behavior Companies, faced with declining sales, want to know when things will be “back to normal.” Indications are that they won’t—if normal is defined as the years right before the deep recession began. “From our research, it is clear that the consumer today is not the same as the consumer just a few short months ago,” says Jamie Rice, chief strategy officer for Carton Donofrio Partners. “We also believe that this new dream and this new ‘Grounded Consumer’ are here to stay. This is not just a temporary shift, but a significant psychological shift that has made consumers re-examine how they live their lives. These new consumer mindsets and behaviors are much closer to a permanent change
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than a transitory trend. Companies and industries must change, too.” Who are ‘Grounded Consumers’? When housing prices began to fall, investment accounts started to shrink and businesses began to fail, many people’s first reaction was denial: Surely the economy would soon rebound. Today, they’ve realized there is no quick turnaround. “Right now, consumers are trying to figure out what exactly is the American Dream and how do they fit into it,” Rice says. “They’re going through a process of grounding their buying and spending behavior. No longer are they defining themselves by what they can buy, but rather who they are.” Grounded Consumers have shifted their buying patterns and motivations. Defining and then learning to live within their means has become common. Many consumers have discovered that being frugal can be freeing and simple living pleasurable. This transformation is a process that the researchers have found takes place in five distinct stages: Stage 1 “The Realization: Goodbye Homo economicus” Stage 2 “How Did I Get Here? My Life is Not a Loan” Stage 3 “Creating a New Value Equation: Moving from a ‘Me’ to a ‘We’ Economy” Stage 4 “unSTUFFing My Life: Building a New Consumer Toolkit” Stage 5 “Walking the Talk: Putting New Skills Into Action” Because not all consumers are at the same stage of the process, marketers must craft messages and sales techniques appropriate for people at each stage. Selling to the new consumer Despite changing attitudes and behaviors, consumerism is still very much alive. “It’s not that people still don’t want things—they do,” Rice says. “But now
‘It’s not that people still don’t want things—they do. But now they’re thinking, “Where’s the balance for me?” ’ they’re thinking, ‘Where’s the balance for me?’ This shift goes all the way back to product development. Now we have to think about how people live their lives rather than how much they consume.” Electronics and appliance retailer Best Buy is one company that has been proactive in creating effective sales and marketing strategies to reach the Grounded Consumer, Rice says. “Best Buy has changed the way it presents the buying experience,” he says. “Their advertising features personal experiences of how a purchase positively impacted their lives. It’s no longer about buying just to have the biggest, the fastest or the coolest stuff.” One Best Buy ad shows how purchasing webcams enabled a family to talk to their son in Iraq. “This personal, firsthand benefit of a Best Buy product really touched a chord with people,” Rice says. How to market mattresses Grounded Consumers have changed how they view their homes. Because of decreasing values and lower equity, www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
2009
GROUNDED CONSUMERS people no longer regard their house as a growing part of an investment portfolio. Grounded Consumers now see their homes as places to live—and they’re willing to invest in products that make those lives more comfortable and enjoyable. Rice suggests one possible way to position a new mattress to consumers: “We’re giving you a better price so you can have a better living experience.” With people spending more time at home, showing bed sets in real-life situations and people using them for real activities (resting, romancing, snuggling with pets and kids, eating meals, reading, watching TV) may resonate more strongly now than messages about insomnia and sore backs. Feature beds and bedrooms as a place of connection and a place of comfort, Rice suggests. Many companies are dealing with the changed economy by slashing prices
is a
and shouting about it in their advertising. But that’s not effective, the researchers say. “After Stage 2, people are thinking about value,” Blinkoff explains. “In the age of Internet searches and shopping, consumers know what’s a fair price. What they’re looking for are good deals
Want to learn more?
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obbie Blinkoff, managing partner and principal anthropologist of Context-Based Research Group, and Jamie Rice, chief strategy officer for Carton Donofrio Partners, are scheduled to speak about “Redefining the American Consumer” at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 at the ISPA Industry Conference and Exhibition in Bonita Springs, Fla.
ISPA at a fair price—and they know what that price is.” A too-good-to-be-true deal is likely to be viewed as just that by a wellinformed and more cynical buyer. A message of joy “We’re now well past the ‘sky is falling’ stage,” Blinkoff says. For many consumers, a new sense of joy is emerging as they begin to see themselves as separate from their consumerism. Given that, an interesting tactic to consider is creating marketing messages based on simple lifestyles—and joy—rather than fear. To reach the new Ground Consumer, remember that “misery is not mandatory, fear is a choice and joy is an option,” Blinkoff says. Hard-sell and fear-based marketing are out; consultative selling is in. Companies need to take the long view and establish relationships with consumers. BT
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➤ FR & regulatory information ➤ Coverage of suppliers & new products ➤ Mattress disposal & recycling ➤ Ideas & industry trends
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SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media: Join in the conversation
New outlets require companies to interact with consumers By Lin Grensing-Pophal
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o you Twitter? Are you LinkedIn? Have you been tagged or viewed? These days social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook are the hot marketing vehicles, with major companies and niche players alike getting into the fray. Mattress manufacturers and retailers are not yet embracing these new communication tools as much as some companies in other industries, but they should be, says Jonathan Ressler, a widely recognized marketing guru. With a background that includes stints as a nightclub manager/owner, marketing executive and business owner, Ressler has embraced social media and is passionate about its possibilities. “This is not a fad,” Ressler says. “It’s a truly fundamental shift in the way people communicate.” In late September, there were more than 1.7 million blogs that talked about mattresses and the number continues to grow. At that same time, there were more than nearly 14,000 videos on YouTube that involve mattresses. Some of these are relevant to the mattress industry and consumers who are shopping for a new bed set; some are not. The point is that—at a minimum—bedding companies need to start looking at what people are saying in the social media universe, Ressler says. Getting involved in social media not only allows companies to monitor what consumers are saying about them—and their competitors—it also offers new opportunities to share your message with consumers. Old marketing media like newspapers and television simply aren’t as effective as they used to be. “It’s no longer good enough to put your ad out there and hope that people will find it,” Ressler says. Savvy marketers know they need to become actively
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engaged with consumers and the marketplace. Increasing word-of-mouth “Everyone says that word-of-mouth is the most powerful thing in the world,” Ressler says. “Social media is just wordof-mouth on the computer or mobile device. The power of social media really is getting other people to do your marketing work for you. Social media provides a framework for people to talk.” But when using social media, companies need to think differently. “You can’t take all of your old ads and your old thinking and try to jam it into the social media space and think it will work,” Ressler says. “It won’t.” With traditional advertising, communication is one-way. With social media, communication is two-way; it’s a conversation. Companies may post information through social media, but they should expect feedback—inquisitive, positive, negative and sometimes downright brutal. The possibility of negative feedback, Ressler says, is a big reason that many companies are hesitant about jumping into social media. “In some sense, they’re afraid of it,” he says. But you need to move beyond that fear because all of the conversations are taking place already—whether your company is participating or not. Consider this scenario: Before social media gave both consumers and companies such a broad, immediate platform through which to share information, if a company felt it needed to defend itself or its products, it would do something like run an open letter in The Wall Street Journal, Ressler says. Today, by the time anybody reads a letter like that, it’s too late—consumers are already talking about the problems in blogs and tweets.
Getting started Given that people are probably already talking about your company, the question becomes, “Do you know what they are saying?” “It used to be that a company would provide the information. They would provide their experts,” Ressler says. “Now you have real people who have nothing to lose or gain by giving you their honest opinions.” Whether somebody makes a negative or a positive comment about your company or product, it spreads almost instantaneously, Ressler says. The Domino’s Pizza chain learned this the hard way when employees at one of its locations decided to make a “funny” video of themselves doing disgusting things to the food and then posted it on YouTube. By the next day, more than 250,000 people had viewed the video. While the incident turned out to be a hoax and no customer’s food was ruined, Domino’s had to do significant damage control using social media—a tool with which it had limited experience. A good first step in marketing through social media, is to visit the most popular social media tools—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube—and search for your company or product name. You may be amazed, perhaps even horrified, by what you find. Ressler offers an example: A recent search on Twitter for the word “mattress” revealed a tweet from a woman who says: “Loving our new Sealy Posturepedic mattress set.” Not a bad product endorsement and it cost Sealy nothing. That’s the good news. The bad news? In another recent search, this one for “Sealy Posturepedic” on YouTube, the first www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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SOCIAL MEDIA video that popped up was titled “Sealy Posturepedic Ratings & Reviews.” It was produced and posted by Nick Robinson at his Sleep Like the Dead Web site, www.sleeplikethedead.com,which rates sleep products. The site also accepts advertising from bedding and related companies. The video highlights what Robinson refers to as the “major problem” with Sealy Posturepedic mattresses—sagging. In late September, the video had more than 4,200 views. If you’re not part of the conversation, not only will you not know what’s being said about your company and its products, you won’t have the opportunity to respond to, support or counter anything that is being said. Rich opportunities Companies in the bedding industry have an opportunity to become not
“You need to find those people who are passionate about your products and engage those people,” Ressler says. “You can reach out and meet your customers in ways that you never could—not to mention the millions of sales opportunities that are out there in social media.” Ressler points to Target as a company that is doing this well. “They’ve done some phenomenal things on Facebook,” he says. “They have more than 500,000 fans. That means that with one click of the mouse they can reach more than 500,000 people. You can’t buy that.” The opportunities for the mattress industry are “endless,” Ressler concludes. “If you have a computer, I’m guessing you can afford a bed. It’s just a land of opportunity.” BT
Want to learn more?
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onathan Ressler, a social media expert, is scheduled to participate in the “Marketing Through Social Media: Why You Can’t Afford to Ignore the Social Networking Explosion” panel discussion at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at the ISPA Industry Conference and Exhibition in Bonita Springs, Fla. Also scheduled to participate are Lissa Coffey, the 2009 Better Sleep Council spokeswoman, and Erik Qualman, author of Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business.
only a part of the discussion, but one of its directors.
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GOING GREEN
Going green: How to create your strategy Knowing what consumers want is a place to start By Patricia Frank
getting married, setting up households—and shopping for furniture. It’s a perfect time to market green bedding products to them.” Ander points out that another large portion of the green consumer pie belongs to “consumers with higher educations and incomes—the ‘mass middle 50%’ are now on the bandwagon, too.” So maybe the smart question to ask is not should you go green, but how fast can you do it?
I
f you’re going “green,” you’ll be in good company. Target’s doing it. REI’s been doing it for a while. Staples is doing it. Timberland’s doing it, and doing it well. Giant Walmart is doing it in a big, big way. Even Pizza Fusion, a growing pizza franchiser based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is doing it with hybrid delivery cars and a marketing tag line: “Saving the Earth, One Pizza at a Time.” “Get on the green bandwagon, or get hurt by it,” says Will Ander, senior partner at McMillan Doolittle, a Chicago-based retail consulting firm. In their 2008 book Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retailing, Ander and co-author Neil Stern define “greentailing” broadly. It includes environmentally sustainable, socially responsible and economically profitable business practices. Greentailing starts at the beginning of the supply chain and ends where the environmentally friendly products are sold. “Greentailers” generally carry products that are sourced from sustainable or organic materials and manufactured in facilities that use “best green business practices,” Ander says. Such business practices include those related to manufacturing processes, energy sources, packaging, product storage, recycling and transportation to retail dealers. To close the green loop, the retailers themselves may be following their own, similar best green business practices. Where altruism meets ROI So what about you? Should you be going green? The statistics say yes. “We’ve been tracking the consumer and retail side for 20 years,” Ander says. “Before 2007, there was a steady
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10% to 12% (of consumers) who were green-committed. In 2007, this switched.” And it switched dramatically. “Now we’re seeing 50% to 70% of consumers who want to buy and support green. And this continues to grow, even in the face of the economic downturn,” Ander says. According to Ander’s research, in 2008, 72% of consumers either actively considered or occasionally considered and purchased green products. They are increasingly interested in supporting green businesses and prefer to spend their buying dollars with businesses that have “greened” their products and operations. They’re voting with their dollars: 78% are willing to pay extra for green products. Who are these new green consumers? They’re not just crunchy “granola” types anymore. “The Y Generation (born in the late 1970s to early 1990s) is very much into green,” Ander says. “They’re
What’s propelling the trend Ander credits the documentary An Inconvenient Truth as a strong driving force. It increased awareness of global climate change. This and other triggers fostered growing demand for change. Savvy retailers, including Walmart, have been proactive in following the green wave. Ander points to Walmart Chief Executive Officer Lee Scott’s 2005 “21st-Century Leadership” speech outlining the company’s sustainability goals. They included: to “make zero waste,” “use 100% renewable energy,” and “sell sustainable products.” Implementing these goals has had more than a trickle-down effect—it’s created a wave. Walmart spends $400 billion with its suppliers, who have to go green to meet Walmart’s demands. “Walmart has even told one of their vendors, a bible supplier, to remove the plastic from the bible covers,” Ander says. Walmart’s not going green just to save the planet. The changes bring a strong return on investment. Going green means less packaging to dispose of, lower transportation and utility costs, etc. Ander notes that “some of the costs of sustainableenergy installations pay back in two or three years.” This means suppliwww.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
The Most Innovative, 100% Latex Foam Bedding Components, Made in the USA by the World’s Leading Latex Foam Manufacturer. • Family Owned. • Environmentally Conscious. • Use our Eco Footprint Research. • Exclusive Designs. • Most Experienced Design Team. • 100% Latex Foam. No Fillers. East: Latexco LLC • 975 Gerrard Road • Lavonia, Georgia 30553 • Phone 706 356 8001 • Fax 706 356 8444 Sales Office • Contact Kevin Callinan • Phone 866 528 3926 (LATEXCO) • Cell 203 444 3626 (FOAM) E-mail kca@latexco.com • Website www.latexco.us West: Sleep Comp, a division of Latexco • 6725 8th Street • Buena Park, California 90620 • Phone 714 522 4991 • Fax 714 522 4900 Contact Roger Coffey • E-mail rco@latexco.com • Website www.sleepcomp.com
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GOING GREEN
ers, manufacturers and retailers can reduce their carbon footprints and realize lower operating costs. How to do it OK. The ROI is compelling, you see how the market’s changing and you’re ready to take the leap into green. How do you roll out a successful strategy? Ander says consumers want to know the total story of an authentic green commitment—including internal commitment at the plant, headquarters or retail space, as well as the external commitment to sourcing and using sustainable materials, packaging and transportation. It’s not enough to say products are sourced sustainably. Stretching or exaggerating green claims is seen by customers as “greenwashing” and it’s harmful to your company, Ander says.
Want to learn more?
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ill Ander is senior partner at the consulting firm McMillan Doolittle and co-author of Greentailing and Other Revolutions in Retailing. He will speak on “Tapping the ‘Green’ Market: Who are Green Consumers and What Do They Really Want?” at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 at the ISPA Industry Conference and Exhibition in Bonita Springs, Fla.
You don’t want consumers thinking you’re just trying to make a buck off the green movement. Ander’s consulting firm, McMillan Doolittle, has developed a simple fourpart model it calls TASC. The strategy represents the four key elements of the
greentailing movement. Companies are encouraged to explore these: ● Think green Incorporate green into the mission statement of your company and appoint people responsible for looking at the business comprehensively. ● Act green Build green practices into how the company is operated—from the way buildings are built to the way supply chains are managed to how fleets are run. ● Sell green Natural products, organic products, fair trade products, energy efficient and environmentally friendly products are all elements of selling green products to consumers. ● Convey green Work to educate consumers about green practices— from how the company is run to how green-based charities play a role in the company’s mission. BT
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Access DecADes of expertise When you work with Intertek, you’re guaranteed the knowledge and operational excellence that only an experienced partner can provide. Intertek has been testing and certifying furniture for 40 years. Throughout our network of accredited labs, we provide a variety of product testing and technical services including safety testing and certification, flammability testing and performance testing, just to name a few.
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The testing is conducted to ASTM F 1566 (Mattress), EN 1957 (Mattress), ASTM D 3574 (Materials), Flammability 16 CFR 1632 and CFR 1633, ASTM E1590, NFPA 267, IMO A.688(17) for shipboard mattresses and all BS EN tests for mattresses. We specialize in testing for product development, material changes, and failure analysis, comparison testing, claims verification and reduced warranty costs.
We are committed to providing you with the necessary testing and certification services you need to reach your target market quickly. We can also work with you to develop ongoing compliance-testing programs to ensure that new product components do not compromise the quality and performance of your product.
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With recognitions by all major bodies we have the ability to test your products to ANSI/BIFMA, ANSI/BHMA, ANSI, KCMA, ANSI/SOHO, CISCA Access Floor Panels, Roof Panels, GSA FNEW, ASTM F1566, EN and BS standards, UL, NFPA, IMO fire testing, SEFA 8 and various other flammability standards. We are accredited by IAS to ISO Guide 17025, and approved by the U.S. Coast Guard for IMO testing, assuring our customers accuracy and confidentiality.
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Mattress Durability and flammability testing
2009
ISPA
CONSUMER EXPERIENCE
Shopping: It’s all about the experience Mattress retailers could do more to entice consumers By Lin Grensing-Pophal
P
icture the typical mattressshopping excursion. Maybe it’s a newly married couple shopping for their first mattress. They might do a little research on the Internet and then head out to a few retailers near their home. They enter the first store and are greeted by a sales associate eager to tell them about the benefits of various brands in the store. The newlyweds look around and see row upon row of white mattresses under harsh lighting. They leave, go to the next store on their list and see more of the same, says Marty Walker, vice president of business development for Ermcar Inc., a Marietta, Ga.-based firm that works with clients to develop unique, appealing design concepts and merchandising strategies. The mattress industry is almost entirely driven by manufacturers’ brands rather than by retail or store brands, Walker points out. This is in contrast to other types of consumer experiences, where the retailer develops a brand identity that consumers seek out when shopping. For instance, take apparel. When shopping for clothes, consumers often will pick a retailer—Nordstrom, Gap, Stein Mart, even Walmart—and, at that outlet, choose from brands that are there. The brand doesn’t drive them to the store. The store is the destination. “Mattress retailers aren’t necessarily doing as much as I would expect or would like them to do to develop their own brands a la Neiman Marcus or The Limited or Gap—or anybody else,” Walker says. The challenge for any retailer is “to take command of their own brand and create the differentiation that separates them from other
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retailers,” Walker says. Retailers need to focus on the consumer’s retail experience—the total sensory and social experience a consumer has once she enters the store. “The challenge—or opportunity—for the retailer is to create a brand that differentiates them regardless of the product brand assortment that they may have,” Walker says. He contends that there’s not much of this being done by bedding retailers. “There is a certain amount of monotony and lack of identity out there,” he says. That’s the opposite of what consumers are looking for. They want an experience that stands out. Creating the right retail experience can impact not only the amount of traffic in a store, but also price points. Consumers will pay more for an experience that’s special or different. When all of the shopping environments and experiences are virtually the same, purchasing decisions tend to be based on price, Walker says.
Enhancing the retail experience There are ample opportunities for mattress retailers to create unique environments designed to delight their consumers. The first step is developing a clear understanding of the target consumer. In many product categories, and certainly in bedding, that’s women. And women, Walker says, have certain shopping expectations that mattress retailers aren’t meeting. He describes the mattress shopping environment, in general, as being “high-pressure sales” and “script driven.” “It’s very, very product-focused and highly technical.” Walker says. “It’s cold. It’s boring.” And, he adds, “that’s being kind.” Mattress retailers need to recognize that when it comes to the shopping experience, they aren’t just competing with other mattress retailers: They are competing with retailers in all categories. Consumers who shop at a mattress store also shop at grocery stores, clothing boutiques, gift shops, sporting goods stores, etc. Their shopping experiences across a broad range of product categories affect their expectations when they enter a mattress store. And they want more than they are getting. At the minimum, consumers seeking mattresses and bedding products are looking for “an interesting, wellkept, comfortable, pleasing kind of environment,” Walker says. “Consumers don’t want harsh lighting. They don’t want bland colors. They don’t want to see a lot of mattresses lined up like soldiers in a row,” he says. Walker urges retailers to shake things up. “Create an environment that will contribute to helping the consumer remember who you are as the retailer,” www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
he says. “I’ll remember you more if you don’t look like the guy down the street and the guy down the street and the guy down the street.” Listen more than you talk The retail experience is about more than product displays and store decor. It also includes interacting with consumers. The key to understanding consumers and their shopping preferences is listening, Walker says. He notes that few consumers want to be educated about detailed product features or manufacturing processes at the expense of having their personal preferences addressed. That’s not to say that consumers don’t want to be educated—they do. “But they want that education integrated into listening to them and helping them find out how that
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product knowledge relates to what they’re looking for,” Walker says. “Instead of talking about product features and technical issues and how products are made, talk more about benefits. You talk about personal preferences. You really put your emphasis more on process and service than on simply regurgitating
Want to learn more?
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arty Walker, vice president of business development for Ermcar Inc., is scheduled to speak about “Meeting Customer Expectations: Selling the Experience Is What Will Keep Her Shopping” at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6 at the ISPA Industry Conference and Exhibition in Bonita Springs, Fla.
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CONSUMER EXPERIENCE
ISPA product information.” In most industries, Walker says, there is a tendency to become insulated. It can be difficult for people to step outside what they firmly know to gain perspective from another side—in this case, the consumer side. “I try to get people out of their comfort zone and start looking at their business from the outside in,” he says. The good news for the mattress business, Walker says, is that there is a lot of room for improvement in retail—a lot of chances to create a unique, memorable and consumeroriented shopping experience. “There’s a great opportunity to have people walk away going ‘Wow. That was a lot better than I thought it would be.’ ” BT
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EXHIBITORS BY PRODUCT
Exhibitors show off products & services
FR Components American & Efird Inc. Carpenter Co. Jones Fiber Products Inc. Leggett & Platt Springs Creative-Firegard Tietex Labels Wright of Thomasville Licensing Opportunities Eastman House/Eclipse International Therapedic International
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n important part of the International Sleep Products Association’s annual Industry Conference and Exhibition are the exhibits from bedding industry suppliers offering their newest products and services. Plan to stop by and visit with representatives of these companies. For more information, you can find to links to their Web sites at www.sleepproducts.org/industryconference. Accessories Latex International Wright of Thomasville Adhesives Henkel Corp. SABA North America Simalfa Computer Software OHM Systems Consultants, Business OHM Systems Engineering Services & Consultants Intertek SGS U.S. Testing Co. Inc. Fabrics, Knit Springs Creative-Firegard Tietex
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Fabrics, Nonwoven Hickory Springs Mfg. Co. Leggett & Platt Tietex Fabrics, Woven Springs Creative-Firegard Fibers American & Efird Inc. Carpenter Co. Enkev Group BV Jones Fiber Products Inc. Leggett & Platt Flammability Testing Services Intertek SGS U.S. Testing Co. Inc. Stork Twin City Testing Underwriters Laboratories Foam, Latex Enkev Group BV Hickory Springs Mfg. Co. Latex International Latexco LLC Natura World Radium Foam BV Foam, Polyurethane (including visco-elastic) Carpenter Co. Flexible Foam Products Inc. FXI Foamex Innovations Hickory Springs Mfg. Co. Natura World
Machinery & Fixtures Atlanta Attachment Co. Leggett & Platt Mattress Manufacturing Eastman House/Eclipse International Natura World Therapedic International Mattress Materials, Hard Goods Leggett & Platt Parts, Supplies & Tools Atlanta Attachment Co. Pillows Carpenter Co. Latexco LLC Thread American & Efird Inc. The Israeli Processing Co. Ltd. Ticking Springs Creative–Firegard Tietex Transportation & Logistics Services Estes Forwarding Worldwide Wool Carpenter Co. Enkev Group BV
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NewsMakers Springs Creative hires sales manager Springs Creative Products Group LLC has hired Scott Frisch as sales and merchandising manager for its Specialty Fabrics Division. He is responsible for overseeing all sales and operations for the division, as well as developing new specialty products. Frisch previously was president of Scott Frisch Frisch Enterprises, a textile and mattress industry consultancy. He has more than 10 years of experience with fabric development and also 10 years of experience selling capital equipment to the textile industry. He studied at Leicester Polytechnic in Leicester, England, and received a bachelor’s degree in textile management from North Carolina State University. “Scott’s international expertise, as well as his extensive experience in the specialty fabrics industry, will prove to be a great asset,” said Derick Close, chief executive officer and owner of the company, which has headquarters in Rock Hill, S.C.
Sealy names new CMO
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odi Allen has joined mattress maker Sealy as senior vice president and chief marketing officer, replacing Philip Dobbs. Previously, Allen spent 14 years at Whirlpool Corp. where she held several posts, most recently general manager for the company’s dishwasher business Jodi Allen in North America. In this role, she was responsible for marketing, product development, supply chain, pricing and forecasting for the Amana, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, Maytag and Whirlpool brands. Prior to that, she held various marketing, financial and general management positions, both internationally and domestically at Whirlpool, including working as a liaison in Brazil leading the integration of Brastemp, Embraco and Multibras companies into the Whirlpool financial structure. Allen has an MBA from the University of Dayton and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ohio State University. “Jodi brings the right mix to the senior marketing role,” said Larry Rogers, president and chief executive officer of Sealy, which has headquarters in Archdale, N.C. “We were looking for someone with not only a brand marketing background, but someone who understands the key role our retailers play in our business. Jodi fit the bill perfectly.”
Shorts Borreggine named ISPA vice chair Gerry Borreggine, president of licensing group Therapedic International in Princeton, N.J., has been appointed to serve as vice chairman of the board of the International Sleep Products Association. Borreggine fills a vacancy that occurred when Don Wright, vice president of Thomasville, N.C.-based supplier Wright of Thomasville, became ISPA chairman in August. Borreggine served on ISPA’s Better Sleep Council for more than 10 years and was its chairman for seven years. In 2002, he received one of the Robert MacMorran Memorial Award.
Ray Malkiewicz recovers from stroke Industry veteran Ray Malkiewicz, principal owner of Wickline Bedding—an Escondido, Calif.-based mattress manufacturer that filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in August—continues his recovery from a stroke he suffered in June that paralyzed his left side. His speech and mental faculties were unaffected. He is 77. Malkiewicz’s condition has improved steadily through intensive physical therapy, his son, Jim Malkiewicz, said.
74 | BedTimes | November 2009
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
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Calendar November
➤ Nov. 4-6 ISPA Industry Conference & Exhibition Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa Bonita Springs, Fla., U.S. Phone 703-683-8371 Fax 703-683-4503 www.sleepproducts.org
2010 January
Jan. 24-27 Interiors Birmingham National Exhibition Centre Birmingham, England Phone 44-121-780-4141 Fax 44-121-767-3825 www.interiors birmingham.com
February
Feb. 1-5 Las Vegas Market World Market Center Las Vegas, U.S. Phone 888-416-8600 Fax 702-599-9622 www.lasvegas market.com Feb. 2-6 Istanbul Furniture Fair CNR EXPO Istanbul Istanbul, Turkey Phone 90-212-465-74-75 Fax 90-212-465-74-76 www.itf-imob.com Feb. 3-5 Australian International Furniture Fair Sydney Exhibition Centre Sydney, Australia Phone 61-3-9654-7773 Fax 61-3-9654-5596 www.aiff.net.au
76 | BedTimes | November 2009
March
➤ March 3-6 ISPA EXPO Charlotte Convention Center Charlotte, N.C., U.S. Phone 703-683-8371 Fax 703-683-4503 www.sleepproducts.org March 9-12 International Furniture Fair Singapore/ ASEAN Furniture Show Singapore Expo Singapore Phone 65-6569-6988 Fax 65-6569-9939 www.iffs.com.sg March 19-22 ZOW Shenzhen Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center Shenzhen, China Phone 60-3-2094-2880 Fax 60-3-2094-2881 www.zow-shenzhen.cn March 27-30 Interzum Guangzhou/ China International Furniture Fair China Import & Export Fair Pazhou Complex Guangzhou, China Phone 86-20-8755-2468 Fax 86-20-8755-2970 www.interzumguangzhou.com www.ciff-gz.com
April
April 17-22 High Point Market International Home Furnishings Center & other locations High Point, N.C., U.S. Phone 336-869-1000 www.highpoint market.org www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
ISPANews New chairman assesses ISPA & its future
Association seeking input on priorities, goals
D
uring the ISPA ➤ How can ISPA best Industry Conference serve the industry, esand Exhibition Nov. pecially during difficult 4-6 in Bonita Springs, Fla., economic times? members of the mattress in“I think one of our major dustry will have a chance to missions and key initiatives express their opinions about is on the advocacy side— the International Sleep keeping the government Products Association and from increasing the cost of how it can best serve their doing business. Advocacy needs. The “Defining ISPA means dealing with WashDon Wright Roundtable Discussions” ington—it’s not fast; it’s not will be at 3:15 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. sexy; it’s not a Ferrari. The governIn advance of those discussions, ment is a clunker. But it’s critical that BedTimes talked with ISPA Chairman we defend our interests there. That’s Don Wright, vice president of sales and a place where ISPA needs to keep its marketing for Wright of Thomasville in energy—that and the Better Sleep Thomasville, N.C., for his assessment of Council’s mission of raising awareness the association and its future. of the entire product category.” ➤ ISPA has undergone several changes in recent months. What are the association’s goals and priorities going forward? “Our priorities are being defined as we speak. We’re going grassroots. We’re surveying the members and nonmembers and the survey response has been pretty good. So we’re listening and then we’ll take the information we learn to create a concrete plan of action—a plan of action that will be compelling and valuable, and unify the association and the industry.” Wright continues: “The changes we’ve gone through obviously have elevated everybody’s awareness of the association. We have a great opportunity to change things. But let me be clear: I don’t think we’re far off base. We have some great initiatives in place. We just need to make sure we’re not straying from our focus. That’s why I keep saying we need a ‘refocused’ effort. We need to decide what things are most crucial to our mission and focus on those.”
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
➤ What are your primary goals as ISPA chairman in 2010? “The bedding industry is a wonderful business and we have a good association that is filled with caring, dedicated, bright, hard-working people. I believe in this industry. The industry employs a lot of people and is a tremendous manufacturing base in the United States. It’s an asset to the country. The strength of the association is an indicator of the strength of the industry and the association is strongest when the membership is unified and moving in the same direction.” ➤ What kind of changes would you, personally, like to see in ISPA in the future? “One of the biggest changes I’d like to see is for us to be more timely in our responses. All of our members run businesses. When we make a decision, it tends to be implemented quickly. But as an association, we operate more slowly. There can be long time
gaps between an idea and its execution. I’d like to see us implement our initiatives more quickly.” ➤ ISPA has surveyed the industry and is seeking input on the association’s goals, priorities and future at the ISPA Industry Conference and Exhibition. If people haven’t already, how can they best share their thoughts? “If you haven’t filled out survey and aren’t going to be at the conference, call me, call Ryan Trainer (ISPA executive vice president), call Debi Sutton (ISPA vice president of membership and marketing). Call the staff in Alexandria, Va. (Main phone: 703-683-8371.) We are ready and willing to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to contact us. Our expectation is to get a lot of guidance from the industry— from the surveys, from face-to-face meetings. Collective input is best. I love nothing better than getting people around the table, exchanging and tweaking ideas.” ➤ What is the timetable for hiring a new president/chief executive officer? “We don’t have a timetable in that we don’t have a date set when we want to have a president in place. A search committee has been formed but the direction of the search will come from the membership and their involvement top-to-bottom. Their involvement is crucial. The staff we have in place is capable of running the organization until we put a president in place. I think determining the mission of the association will determine the person who will fulfill the role (of president). The direction we go has tobe membership-driven. The key to the association is not the president; the key to the association is the membership.” BT
BedTimes | November 2009 |
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AdvertisersIndex AFT Corp. Rick Brumfield 800-631-1930
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Eclipse International/Eastman House Stuart Carlitz 800-634-8434 www.eclipsemattress.com www.eastmanhousemattress.com
Matsushita Industrial Co. Yosuke Takeuchi 81-6-6774-6002 www.tecmic.co.jp
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American & Efird Inc. Kevin Boye 704-951-2246 www.amefird.com
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Atlanta Attachment Co. Inc. C2-1, 46, 55 Hank Little 770-963-7369 www.atlatt.com Baron Styles Dave Williams 262-473-7331 www.baronstyles.com
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Lava USA Ann Weaver 864-998-4892 www.lavatextiles.com
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Matsushita Industrial Co. Yosuke Takeuchi 81-6-6774-6002 www.tecmic.co.jp
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Maxime Knitting Lorne Romoff 514-336-0445, Ext. 27 514-265-8782 www.maximeknitting.com
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Flexible Foam Products Inc. Michael Crowell 419-647-4191 www.flexiblefoam.com
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The Israeli Processing Co. Israel Oron 972-8-9439021, Ext. 203
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Boycelik Erol Boydak 90-532-274-3193 www.boycelik.com
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Boyteks Tekstil AS M. Nebi Dogan 90-533-685-6041 www.boyteks.com
12-13
Jones Fiber Products Inc. Kenny Oliver 901-948-4469 www.jonesfiber.com
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4, 52
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Kenn Spinrad Inc. Randy Weinstock 800-373-0944 www.spinrad.net
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Springs Creative Products Group George Booth 803-324-6505 www.springscreative.com
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Keynor Spring Mfg. Raymond Shao 604-267-1307 www.keynor.com
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Deslee Textiles USA Bart Dehaerne 864-472-2180, Ext. 108 www.desleeclama.com
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Latex International Kevin Stein 203-924-0700, Ext. 347 www.latexintl.com
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Tietex International Ltd. Wade Wallace 800-843-8390 www.tietex.com
C4, 54
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Latex Systems Kitti Charoenpornpanichkul 66-2-326-0886, Ext. 204 www.latexsystem.com
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Underwriters Laboratories Inc. Mariola Zamecka 847-664-3200 www.ul.com
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Latexco U.S. LLC Kevin Callinan 866-528-3926 www.latexco.us
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Wright of Thomasville Area Account Executive 800-678-9019 www.wrightlabels.com
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78 | BedTimes | November 2009
www.sleepproducts.org/bedtimes
Classifieds For Sale TAPE-EDGE MACHINES, MULTINEEDLE AND SINGLENEEDLE QUILTERS, long-arm label machines, sergers, etc. Contact Victor LeBron, American Plant and Equipment. Phone 864-574-0404; Fax 864-576-7204; Cell 864-590-1700; Email apesales@charterinternet.com; Web www.americanplantandequipment.com. REBUILT AND RECONDITIONED MULTINEEDLE QUILTING MACHINES. Specializing in PATHE precision parts and service. Technical consultants. SEDCO. Phone 201-567-7141; Fax 201-567-5515. TAPE-EDGE MACHINES, QUILTERS & MISCELLANEOUS SEWING MACHINES. Contact Frank Carlino, U.S. Mattress Machinery. Phone 815-795-6942; Fax 815-795-2178; Email usmattmach@hotmail.com. EMCO Compustitch Quilter with Quilt Rack and Catwalk and Gribetz cutter; National serger and Table 1; Union Special serger and Table 2; Porter 1000 serger and table; Porter tape-edge. Many other miscellaneous items available. Call Troy at 815-343-9984 for more details.
For Sale We manufacture wooden box-spring flat frames and foundations custom sized to your specifications. Foundation kit options available. Wood components for flat frames, foundations, pallets or packaging, including grooved stock cut to the size you need. Assembly available for most items. Foundations can be covered and bagged to be ready to sell. Ask about your specific needs. Email inquiries to drobbins@sleepproducts.org. Chandler long-arm repair machine Various overlock machines, Singer 300W with 1½-inch binder capping, 2 Union special capping machines, Hartco clip gun with a half pallet of clips, canvas carts, chairs, miscellaneous items, staple and nail guns, Wolf knife, etc. $7,500 for the entire lot or best offer. Call 407-455-4817. Innovative new mattress company based in Atlanta is looking for a sales director. Established relationships with key retail accounts is crucial. Initial focus on the Southeast. Great opportunity to join a small and dynamic team with great potential for growth. Send resume in confidence to bmbedding@gmail.com or fax to 770-964-4660.
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Peter Jensen, VP/ Marketing & Sales (604) 351-3613 • PeterJensen@Keynor.com Canada: T(604)267-1307 • F(604)267-1327 RaymondS@Keynor.com China: T86-21-13901616782 F86-21-55128718 RaymondShao@keynor.com.cn
BedTimes | November 2009 |
79
TheLastWord Survey: Sleep nudging out sex in the bedroom
I
n the past 10 years, men and women’s desire for sleep has become stronger than their desire for sex, according to a survey from Westin Hotels. More than half (51%) of respondents in the United States said they would prefer “a great night’s sleep” to “great sex.” Only 31% chose sleep over sex a decade ago. “Contrary to conventional wisdom, it is men who are more likely than women to take sleep over sex, with the majority of women saying they prefer sex to snoozing,” the hotel and resort chain says. “And Americans are not alone. In nine of
10 countries surveyed, sleep beats sex. Only the Canadians prefer seduction versus slumber.” The survey of 12,500 frequent travelers was a follow-up to one Westin Hotels conducted a decade ago when it launched its Heavenly Bed program. There’s other good news for the mattress industry in the survey. Some 43% of survey respondents said their quality of sleep while traveling has improved in the past 10 years, 25% say they’d pay $100 more for a hotel with a great bed and more than half would go out of their way to stay in a hotel with their favorite bed.
Government takes over mattress industry? Satirists say it’s so
After dealing with a recession for nearly two years, we can all use a laugh. We were amused by a recent posting on The Spoof, a satirical Web site (www.thespoof.com) that pokes fun at news, sports and pop culture. A Spoof story datelined “Soft Springs, Iowa” begins: “In a shocking move, President Barack Obama ordered Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) to move in and take control of the nation’s faltering mattress manufacturing industry. Millions of taxpayers, at least those still working, had come to rely on their mattresses as the last safe haven for their life savings after bank accounts, 401ks, and stocks and bonds plunged and banks failed as Obamanomics continued its assault on Free Enterprise and the Capitalistic System.” The faux story continues: “Manny Levine, CEO and founder of Snooze Inc., the nation’s largest mattress manufacturing company, said the move was ‘nothing more than a power play by the current administration to get in bed with our customers and control how they handle their money!’ White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said the move was an emergency measure to combat ‘hoarding’ on behalf of American taxpayers, ‘who are not doing their part to bring back the sagging economy!’ Gibbs said people, as well as corporations, were holding on to a large portion of recent stimulus checks and not putting the handouts back into the economy.” It’s true that the mattress industry would like the government to encourage home furnishings purchases and has been lobbying for a bill that would provide tax breaks to consumers and retailers to boost sales of mattresses, furniture and home improvement products. But a takeover of the entire industry to shake money loose from consumers? Let’s hope that idea stays with The Spoof.
80 | BedTimes | November 2009
Sleep Shorts
Sleep staves off colds Yet another study has shown that a lack of sleep increases the risk of catching a cold. Researchers writing in The Archives of Internal Medicine studied more than 150 men and women, tracking the quality and length of their sleep for two weeks. The participants were then quarantined and exposed to cold viruses. The loss of just one hour of sleep lowered immunity: People who slept fewer than seven hours each night were three times more likely to catch a cold as those who slept eight hours or more.
A link to Alzheimer’s Lack of sleep may be a cause of Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study in the journal Science. Researchers at BarnesJewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis studied amyloid beta levels in mice genetically engineered to have a disease similar to Alzheimer’s. As it accumulates, the amyloid beta protein creates plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. When studying mice, the researchers found that amyloid beta levels increased when the mice were awake and fell when they were asleep.
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