Mattress Market to See Spike Soon

It appears that Memorial Day cannot come soon enough for bed companies.  Furniture Today is reporting that the bedding market is off and running ahead of the May 26, 2014 weekend.  The Greensboro, North Carolina based on-line and multi-media publication noted the industry should benefit from what retailers are calling "pent-up" demand for mattresses stemming from winter sales losses and warmer weather translating into significant traffic in mattress stores across the USA.

Klaussner’s Enso Sleep Systems says they are entertaining major customers and that their new gel bedding line, which features a Total Surface Coverage (TSC) design, is resonating with retailers.  Enso Sleep Systems is offering a Labor Day power buy that features a 10-inch, gel-infused memory foam mattress.  Classic Brands is banking on their Revo reticulated foam line and its new Sleep Trends line of compressed mattresses aimed at E-Commerce retailers to yield great sales numbers this Spring.  Interest in Simmons’ new ComforPedic iQ line of self-adjusting memory foam mattresses remains high.  These examples and the roll-outs of the many independent mattress retailers from across the country will certainly spell good things in the industry this quarter.  

This time last year, the bedding industry saw $19.2 billion in third-quarter 2013 sales growing just 1.9 percent from the previous year.  Will sales be flat this quarter? 

Specialty mattresses are expected to continue increasing in popularity and market share by most accounts. According to International Sleep Products Association reports, the specialty mattress industry has grown from 22% of revenues in 2009 to 33% of revenues in 2012 and increased units by 18% from 2011 to 2012. UK-based Research and Markets forecasts US growth of 12% for memory foam mattresses alone from 2012-2016. The increases in specialty mattresses are attributed to several factors by the reporting agencies including greater durability, higher owner satisfaction in consumer surveys and online reviews, increase of sleep disorders and awareness, as well as lower prices in the last couple years which have made the products more accessible to consumers and contributed to specialty mattress trends.

For more on how GET, LLC through our friends at Savoy Contract Furniture and teaming partner American Hotel Register can assist you with your specific furniture needs- please check out our website at www.get-guam.com or give us a call at 671-483-0789 to discuss the best solution for your facility.  All the solutions are Made in America!

2013 A Good Year for Bedding Industry

The Greensboro, North Carolina-based Furniture Today is reporting that 2013 was a good year for the bedding industry.  Quoting an International Sleep Products Association report, units increased 1.5 percent and 2.1% in U.S. Dollars. In this Blogger's opinion, this is significant news related to this important industry.

Why does GET, LLC value the work of the IPSA?  Next year they celebrate 100 years of encouraging uniformity in industry standards and government regulations and are always fighting the good fight for the common interests of the 700 bedding manufacturers and related industry members world wide. Their analysis hits at every level of the bedding industry is very informative-they truly understand the bedding industry and those involved are best served by tapping the IPSA's expertise.

The IPSA figures showed the innerspring segment outperformed the specialty sleep segment helped last year by a strong sales year of hybrid sleep sets-the combination of innersprings and specialty foams.

Furniture Today reports that preliminary figures for last year show innerspring mattress units up 2.7% for the year, compared with a 7.3% decline for specialty mattress units. And the dollar value of innerspring mattress shipments was up a healthy 8.1%, compared with a 4.3% decline for specialty mattress dollars-the worst performance of the specialty sleep segment since 2009.

The average unit price for innerspring mattresses was up 5.3% for 2013, to $266.02, while it increased 3.2% for specialty mattresses, to $767.90. But the average unit price for foundations plunged 7.5%, to $80.83. Overall, the industry saw the average unit price rise just 0.5% last year, to $217.11, according to the preliminary figures.

Final figures for 2013 won't be available until ISPA completes a more detailed look at the year and issues its annual report in a few months.

ISPA also issued a fourth-quarter breakdown that showed innerspring mattress units up 4.1%, compared with a steep 11.7% decline for specialty mattress units. Innerspring mattress dollars were up 9.1% in the fourth quarter, while dollars were down 4.8% for specialty mattresses that quarter.

There is a caveat to all this information as the ISPA cautions that the reports may not necessarily reflect the performance of the full industry, due to market share or distribution changes. Good to know.  We will continue to follow this story and keep you posted.

For more on how GET,LLC through our friends at Savoy Contract Furniture and teaming partner American Hotel Register can assist you with your specific bedding needs-please check out our website at www.get-guam.com or give us a call at 671-483-0789 to discuss the best solution for your facility.  All the solutions are Made in America!