FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2015 Media Contact: Amanda Wall Office: (571) 482-5431 Cell: (713) 829-7748 awall@mattressrecyclingcouncil.org CALRECYCLE APPROVES MATTRESS RECYCLING COUNCIL’S RECYCLING BUDGET & FEE MATTRESS RECYCLING FEE COLLECTION BEGINS DECEMBER 30, 2015 ALEXANDRIA, VA – Today, the California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) approved the budget and recycling fee that the […]
The 60s and 70s, happening times in bedding
As the International Sleep Products Association digs into its archive for a series of BedTimes magazine articles celebrating its 100th anniversary, the association has discovered a lot of interesting tidbits for mattress retailers, too. ISPA, which also publishes Sleep Savvy, is happy to share with you some of the news and trends from the period […]
Bigger (bedding) is better
This year, the International Sleep Products Association, which publishes Sleep Savvy, is celebrating its centennial. In researching ISPA’s first 100 years for an anniversary series in our sister publication BedTimes, we’ve found plenty that is of interest to mattress retailers. Here we share some news and trends from the period 1941 to 1965. The era […]
Rooms To Go creates mattress-buying guide
Furniture and mattress retailer Rooms To Go, based in Seffner, Florida, has created a mattress buying guide at www.roomstogo-mattress.com. The guide to choosing and buying a mattress provides information about mattress sizes, comfort levels, construction methods and more. It also includes information about sleep and a list of the retailer’s best-selling sleep sets. In addition, […]
Better Sleep Month is born
This year, the International Sleep Products Association, which publishes Sleep Savvy, is celebrating its centennial. In researching ISPA’s first 100 years for an anniversary series in our sister publication BedTimes, we’ve found plenty that is of interest to mattress retailers. Here we share some news and trends from the period 1941 to 1965. Annual public-relations […]
Seven deadly sins of social media, part 2
SOCIAL GRACES | Sponsored by Restonic Thou shalt not do that again! BY JULIA ROSIEN Got a social-media strategy or are you winging it and praying it all works out? We’re all guilty of cutting corners once in a while, but if you’re engaging in the deadly sins of social media, you’re on a crash course […]
Connecticut debuts nation’s first statewide mattress-recycling program
Plan requires those who produce, sell or renovate mattresses to collect a recycling fee on each mattress and box springs sold On May 1, Connecticut’s Mattress Stewardship Plan took effect, making it the first state in the nation to launch a statewide recycling program for used mattresses and box springs. The program is administered by […]
Celebrating mattress industry history
This year, the International Sleep Products Association, which publishes Sleep Savvy, is celebrating its 100th anniversary The research team poring over old documents for a series of articles in our sister publication BedTimes has come across a trove of trivia and trends about mattress retailing that we know you’ll enjoy, too. Like the stories we […]
Hollywood Bed hosts congresswoman
U.S. Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard paid a visit to the Commerce, California, headquarters of Hollywood Bed Frame Co., which in the previous 12 months has doubled the size of its workforce. The congresswoman toured the bed-frame, base and hardware supplier’s plant and learned more about the company’s recent growth from Hollywood Bed Chief Executive Officer Larry […]
Seven deadly sins of social media, Part 1
SOCIAL GRACES | Sponsored by Restonic Thou shalt not do that again! BY JULIA ROSIEN I try to live a good life, free from temptation and sin. I try to do what’s right online, too, but that’s tricky some days. Why can’t there be a shortcut to some of this social collateral we’re working so hard […]
Mattress retailing, the early years
A look back at bedding sales trivia and trends from 1915 to 1940 This year, the International Sleep Products Association, which publishes Sleep Savvy, is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The research team poring over old documents for a series of articles in our sister publication BedTimes has come across a trove of trivia and trends […]
March mattress-recycling updates
Connecticut approves recycling plan Mattress Recycling Council program to begin May 1 The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has approved the Connecticut Mattress Stewardship Plan developed by the Mattress Recycling Council, a nonprofit organization created by the mattress industry to develop and manage mandated statewide mattress-recycling programs. The approval Dec. 31 makes Connecticut […]
Park Place names new president, VP
Mattress producer Park Place Corp. has named Jason Kelley as president and promoted Jerry Burgess to vice president of sales. The Greenville, South Carolina-based company was founded in 1931 and is the King Koil licensee for the south and mid-Atlantic regions. Kelley, who joined Park Place in 2012, is responsible for providing “a strategic plan […]
Retailers, the ISPA Industry Conference is for YOU
You’ve earned it. Get away from the cold and snow to the magnificent Vinoy Renaissance Resort and Golf Club in St. Petersburg to the ISPA Industry Conference AND … Sharpen your store’s competitive edge. Our keynoter, bestselling author, publisher and entrepreneur Rich Karlgaard will give you a roadmap to gaining a leg up on the competition. […]
PFA clarifies proposed EPA ruling on flexible polyurethane foam safety
The Polyurethane Foam Association, based in Loudon, Tennessee, announced today it has prepared the position paper “What Regulators Need to Know” to clarify the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s recently proposed Significant New Use Rule pertaining to toluene diisocyanate use in consumer goods. TDI is a raw material used in the manufacture of flexible polyurethane foam. […]
Gov. Brown signs bill to tweak California mattress law
California Gov. Jerry Brown recently signed a bill that adds specificity and assurances that preserve regulatory oversight to mattress-recycling legislation that was originally signed in 2013. The International Sleep Products Association supported the changes to the law, which were introduced through legislation in August and signed by Brown in September. The Mattress Recycling Council, a […]
Mattress store by day, dance studio by night
Discount Mattress Outlet outside of Columbia, Missouri, has something of a secret identity. “It’s a mattress store by day, dance studio by night,” Linda Vorce told KBIA Mid-Missouri Public Radio. She co-owns the store with her husband Steve. During the day, mattresses occupy the central floor space. But every Tuesday and Thursday, mattresses are moved […]
Spring design trend
From chandeliers to garden gates, in “Reduce, reuse, redecorate,” BedTimes reports on the myriad ways old bed springs and metal frames are being reused–and reimagined–into stylish products for the home: At a time when mattress-recycling legislation is making headlines and states begin addressing the problem of keeping old beds from clogging local landfills and entangling heavy […]
California says new furniture flammability labeling doesn’t apply to mattresses
The California Bureau of Electronics & Appliance Repair, Home Furnishings & Thermal Insulation, which regulates mattress safety in California, has issued a new document, “Senate Bill (SB) 1019 Frequently Asked Questions, which reiterates that mattresses are not subject to the state’s new FR chemicals labeling requirements for furniture, enacted this year in SB 1019. The […]
Simmons 30-second videos give the SIMple Facts
For retail sales associates, it can be tough keeping up with the new technologies constantly appearing in mattresses, the latest sleep research and other advancements. As one piece of a three-part tech package to educate RSAs and consumers, Atlanta-based Simmons Bedding Co. has created a series of short, fast-paced videos it calls SIMple Facts. Each […]
North Carolina honors mattress maker Kingsdown
Local dignitaries, community leaders and employees of Kingsdown Inc. gathered Friday at the company’s Oakwood plant in Mebane, North Carolina, to celebrate 110 years in the mattress-manufacturing business. “Kingsdown remains the only home-grown, home-bred industry we have left,” said Mebane Mayor Glendel Stephenson, who, along with North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, proclaimed Sept. 12, 2014, […]
Mattress Firm acquires Sleep Train
Houston-based retailer Mattress Firm announced it is acquiring employee-owned Sleep Train Inc., with headquarters in Sacramento, California, the parent of sleep shop chains Got Sleep?, Mattress Discounters, Sleep Country USA and Sleep Train, for $425 million. Sleep Train operates 312 storefronts in California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon and Washington state. “This unique and transformational opportunity […]
Mattress sales up 2013-2015
ISPA report and forecast show moderate growth; now available to retailers According to the “2013 Mattress Industry Report of Sales and Trends,” published by the International Sleep Products Association, the mattress industry continued its upward trend in 2013 in unit shipments and wholesale dollar values. U.S. mattress producers shipped nearly 35.9 million units, and wholesale revenues grew […]
BedMart assists Portland’s homeless
Pacific Northwest sleep-shop chain BedMart Mattress Superstores, with headquarters in Portland, Oregon, has partnered with Tempur Sealy in the donation of 206 new Tempur-Pedic beds to a network of eight homeless shelters in the Portland area. The eight nonprofits—Central City Concern, Janus Youth Programs, Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest, Luke-Dorf, Macdonald Center, New Avenues for Youth, […]
L&P’s Cornell among American Furniture Hall of Fame 2014 nominees
The American Furniture Hall of Fame Foundation Inc., based in High Point, North Carolina, has announced its 2014 nominees. On the list is Harry Cornell Jr., chairman emeritus of Carthage, Missouri-based mattress industry supplier Leggett & Platt, as well as five other furniture industry notables—Hershel Alpert (Alpert’s), Bernard Castro (Castro Convertibles), Donald Dreher (DMI Furniture), […]
Restonic Facebook contest salutes dad’s changing role
Just in time for Father’s Day, mattress-licensing group Restonic, with headquarters in Buffalo, New York, is hosting a dad-themed contest on its popular Facebook page, www.facebook.com/restonicbeds. Restonic friends and fans are invited to share a picture of dad and “tell us why you love him,” for a chance to win (do we know how many?) […]
$175,000 mattress honors the royal bedchamber
London-based luxury mattress manufacturer Savoir Beds has launched a limited-edition mattress retailing for $175,000 in conjunction with its sponsorship of “Secrets of the Royal Bedchamber” exhibition at Hampton Court Palace March 27 to Nov. 3. The exhibit explores the bedchamber of the 17th- and 18th-century royal court. The mattress takes more than 600 hours to […]
Pillow Talk: Measuring social media
How do you measure your social media marketing efforts? How did you measure that billboard you paid someone to put up at the local hockey arena? How did you measure your last radio spot? At a time when the average person faces more than 400 advertisements daily, the modern marketer’s ultimate challenge is making a message […]
Retailer happily loses big in Super Bowl wager
Family-owned Harkness Furniture in Tacoma, Wash., is reimbursing customers close to $70,000 after the Seattle Seahawks won the Super Bowl. Prior to the game, the retailer ran a special promotion promising to refund all furniture and mattress purchases made Thursday through Sunday before the big game—if the Seahawks managed to return their opening kickoff for a […]
2014 Retail Forecast
‘This will be the year for strong inventory management, good merchandising and sensible promotions.’
ISPA expects more state-level bills in 2013
The International Sleep Products Association and the mattress industry have long supported the need for mattress recycling. As a result, last year ISPA sought a cost-effective, efficient national solution to waste problems associated with used mattresses. At the same time, the entire industry faced costly legislation in 2012 in three states that would have forced […]
2013 forecast: Bumpy road ahead
Economists don’t see relief for retail until the second half of the year BY PHILLIP M. PERRY Precarious curves before heading into a straightaway. That’s the economic forecast as retailers enter a new year. Hazardous conditions will remain at least for the first half of 2013 as consumers hold tight to their pocketbooks and commercial […]