MARKET SCENE
seen & heard in Vegas The Back Supporter Value Collection with LFK innerspring and foam comfort layers has suggested retails of $399 to $599 for a queen set. The foam-encased Total Balance collection ranges from $599 to $999 in queen, with damask or knit covers. The Four Seasons retails for $999 to $1,999 and 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 new opening retail price point in queen is $1,599—instead of its former $2,100—and 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 foamquilted lumbar region that “visibly reinforces the patented Spinal Sleep Zone System and reduces any chance of body impressions,” said Stuart Carlitz, president.
Running against the lower-price tide, Sealy debuted the Heritage Series at the upper price points, said Mark Delahanty, VP of Sealy Brands.
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 a surprising $799 to $1,499 retail price point in queen.
“There are unique components in every model and the price hits a sweet spot,” said Serta President Bob Sherman. “Consumers we interviewed can’t believe these beds are not more expensive.” Luxury mattress maker E.S. Kluft & Co. introduced the lower-priced Halstead by Aireloom line, replacing the Studio collection introduced in February. There are four collections within Halstead at retail price points from $799 to $1,999 in queen. The two top beds in the line are foamencased, with specialty foam comfort layers. 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 latex mattress out there,” said Walt Bader, president and CEO, adding, “We like to say we’re the purest organic mattress in the Milky Way.”
Comfort Solutions scores with heavy customers
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omfort Solutions’ eXtended and ‘overweight.’ Our POP is more Life mattress—designed discreet, too.” to accommodate heavier “Many overweight consumers bodies—is really resonating with have been burned by a bad experiretailers and consumers, according ence with expensive pillowtops to Owen Shoemaker, senior vice and body impressions. They are president of product development. convinced that they must purchase The company introduced the extraa hard or firm bed,” he explained. sturdy line in February and has “They have to be educated that a fine-tuned its retail training prosupportive bed can be comfortable gram to help RSAs be sensitive to as well.” overweight customers when talking A new XL plush version introabout the benefits. duced at this market incorporates “We train RSAs to ask quesprogressive-resistance latex in the Owen Shoemaker with Comfort Solutions’ tions like ‘what happened to the eXtended Life, built for customers that need upholstery for added comfort. A last bed you slept on?’ If it broke, second new XL model features a extra support for plus-sized bodies. then we know there is a problem to temperature-regulating cover that address,” said Shoemaker. “We’ve also come up with a mitigates body heat. The new models are expected to series of tactful phrases to use when describing ‘heavy,’ retail between $2,199 and $2,499 in queen.
34 SleepSavvy • October 2009
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