These sturdy, durable mattresses are designed for plus-size, big and tall sleepers, but they can appeal to any shopper who appreciates durabilityvand a good value.
They may seem like a niche product, but heavy-duty mattresses are heavy hitters on the sales floor, manufacturers say. The beds are designed for larger bodies, including athletes and people with obesity, yet appeal broadly to cost-conscious consumers because of their durable materials and, often, longer warranties.
Because of this, makers of heavy-duty mattresses say retailers who carry the models can meet the needs of several types of consumers without taking up a lot of showroom floor space.
“While our ‘plus’ mattresses are specifically engineered to support individuals over 250 pounds, the truth is that anyone can benefit from them. They’re built with reinforced materials and offer enhanced support and pressure relief, which can improve comfort for a wide range of sleepers, from plus-size individuals to athletes to anyone who simply prefers a more substantial feel,” says John Merwin, CEO of 3Z Brands, a bedding producer based in Phoenix.
Such mattresses incorporate sturdy components like heavy-duty coil units and foams, along with constructions such as hand tufting — all intended to support higher body weights and designed to make the beds last longer. Although tough, heavy-duty mattresses don’t skimp on comfort, and some bedding producers offer step-up luxe versions with even more comfort layers.
“We like to say that these mattresses are built like tanks yet offer luxurious comfort for all types of sleepers, still at an exceptional value,” says Darren Sodikoff, vice president of sales and marketing for The Bedding Group in Rock Island, Illinois, a longtime Therapedic International licensee. “Our dealers who carry (our HD lines) are very successful raising their AUSP and take pride and comfort knowing their customer is getting a phenomenal product that will last for many years to come.”
3Z Brands’ Inclusive Approach to Heavy-Duty Bedding
3Z Brands offers heavy-duty models across its many brands, including Brooklyn Bedding, Helix, Leesa and Nolah, although it designates such models as Plus rather than HD.
“Sleep isn’t one size fits all and neither are our customers,” Merwin says. “Plus-size individuals, athletes, and big and tall sleepers often face unique challenges that standard mattresses don’t solve for. Our mission is to deliver the best night’s sleep to every body, every night. That commitment is reflected in the products we create, because we believe no body type or physique should ever be left out when it comes to sleep.”
3Z’s Brooklyn Bedding brand offers a trio of heavy-duty beds — the Titan Plus, Titan Plus Elite and Titan Plus Luxe.
The firm Titan Plus ($936) features an encased-coil core with 2 inches of firm TitanFlex foam and a 1-inch quilted top with gel foam. The medium-firm Titan Plus Luxe also incorporates the encased-coil core and quilted top but adds layers of comfort foams ($1,199). All the Titan models come with an optional Glaciotex cooling cover.
As another example, through its Leesa brand, 3Z produces the Plus Hybrid mattress, made to support up to 500 pounds. It incorporates 981 individually wrapped springs and gel-infused memory foam ($1,236).
3Z’s Plus models all come with limited lifetime warranties.
Therapedic International introduced its first heavy-duty collection a decade ago with the launch of Medicoil HD and later added TheraLuxe HD and TheraLuxe HD Ice lines.
Mattresses in all three groups feature heavy-gauge coils, high coil counts, high-density foams, heavy-duty foam encasements and hand tufting, as well as foundations with twice the wood as standard foundations, says Susan Mathes, executive vice president of the Princeton, New Jersey-based licensing group.
TheraLuxe HD and TheraLuxe HD Ice are step-ups from the original four-model Medicoil HD line, which has retail prices from $1,199 to $2,199. TheraLuxe HD features individually encased coils and its four models are compatible with adjustable bases ($1,499-$2,299). The three TheraLuxe HD Ice models include “coil-on-coil technology for even deeper, more substantial support” and a cooling cover, Mathes says. They retail from $2,799 to $2,999.
As a licensing group, individual licensees set warranties, but Sodikoff says the typical warranty on a Therapedic heavy-duty line is 20 years. “Because of the higher level of quality components used and unique manufacturing techniques applied, these mattresses are built to last,” he says.
Paramount Sleep Redesigns HD Super Duty Line for Value
Independent bedding producer Paramount Sleep Co. recently redesigned its HD Super Duty line with value in mind, debuting it at the High Point Market in April.
The revamped line “was created in response to a growing demand from value-conscious consumers seeking greater durability and long-term performance from their mattresses,” says Richard Fleck, president of the Norfolk, Virginia-based bedding producer. “‘Value,’ in our view, is about 65% quality and 35% price, and this collection reflects that philosophy.”
Fleck notes that while most mattresses are tested to support an “outdated” 230-pound sleeper standard, his company’s HD Super Duty line is tested at up to 370 pounds, “offering more robust support for a wider range of body types.” Independent testing has shown that the new HD Super Duty mattresses will soften only 10% over two decades, “which means the bed will feel 90%-plus the same after 20 years of use,” Fleck adds.
Consumers seem pleased with the HD Super Duty beds’ performance. Paramount’s previous heavy-duty line had a return rate of 0.5% — “the lowest return rate of any mattress in our program,” Fleck says.
Paramount’s HD Super Duty line, divided into the Classic and Signature series, includes four models in each group. The Classic models’ components include spring units encased in high-density comfort foam and quilted natural latex in the center zone for lumbar support. Other features: eco-conscious recycled cotton and a cooling cover made of silk, wool and cashmere.
Mattresses in the step-up Signature series include heavy-gauge pocketed spring units, as well as a bio-based graphite memory foam. Both series carry the exclusive Seal of Cotton trademark and are handcrafted in the United States. Suggested retail prices range from $1,299 to $2,999.
Reaching Consumers Across All Sales Channels
Direct-to-consumer brands are also targeting consumers who could benefit from a heavy-duty mattress.
Big Fig specializes in heavy-duty beds, promoting itself as “the mattress for bigger figures.” Alison Goodman Gross co-founded the company a decade ago with her father, Bruce Goodman, CEO of longtime bedding producer White Dove Mattress in Cleveland.
Gross tells customers on the Big Fig website that she was concerned that all-foam boxed beds weren’t meeting the needs of many consumers, especially the “underserved community of plus-size and big and tall sleepers.”
Big Fig mattresses feature individually wrapped coils, high-density foams, firmer edge support to maximize the sleep surface and hand tufting to prevent body impressions. It offers three models — Big Fig Firm ($1,236), Big Fig Classic ($1,424) and Big Fig Luxe ($1,611) — that support 550 pounds per sleeper. The beds feature 20-year warranties and are endorsed by the American Chiropractic Association.
New York-based direct-to-consumer brand Saatva positions its Saatva HD mattress as “the first luxury hybrid innerspring for bigger bodies” with “luxurious comfort and heavy-duty support built into every layer.”
Saatva’s HD mattress, designed to support sleepers weighing up to 500 pounds, includes a “high-durability coil base,” patented Lumbar Zone technology for spinal alignment to help relieve back pain, natural latex for buoyancy, a 3-inch euro-top for “cushioned comfort” and a breathable cover made with organic cotton, according to the company. Hand tufting helps to prevent body impressions. It retails for $3,049 in queen size.
Expanding Your Showroom with Heavy-Duty Mattresses
If you aren’t carrying a heavy-duty line, make it a priority to check out such mattresses next time you’re in Las Vegas or High Point. By adding a heavy-duty line, you can broaden the range of customers you serve with just a few models.
As Mathes says: “All consumers can benefit from a heavy-duty mattress. Who doesn’t want and/or cannot benefit from heavy-duty support and heavy-duty durability?”
Marketing Heavy-Duty Mattresses with Inclusive Language
When naming their durable mattresses designed to support heavier people, some bedding makers prefer “heavy duty” or “HD.” Others go with Plus designators.
They also use a variety of descriptors to help market the mattresses in a way that’s respectful and that appeals to the wide range of consumers who might benefit from such beds. Retailers can take cues from them when marketing the lines to their own customers.
New York-based direct-to-consumer bedding brand Saatva uses language like “heavier bodies” and “bigger bodies” to promote its Saatva HD mattress.
Bedding producer 3Z Brands prefers the Plus designator for its heavy-duty mattresses and frequently refers to plus-size consumers in product descriptions and marketing messages.
“We use the word ‘plus-size’ because it speaks directly and respectfully to the people we’re designing for,” says John Merwin, CEO of the Phoenix-based company. “Plus-size is a term that many people identify with and feel empowered by, and using it helps us show that these products are made for real people with real needs. It’s a more human way to talk about what we do, and it reflects our belief that everybody deserves better sleep.”
And, Merwin adds, “we also use inclusive, relatable language like, ‘big and tall’, ‘strong’ and ‘heavier bodies’ to meet people where they are and make sure they feel seen.”
Although it labels its heavy-duty beds as “HD,” Therapedic International markets them as “plus-size friendly.”
“Plus-size can mean many things,” says Susan Mathes, executive vice president of the Princeton, New Jersey-based licensing group. “Plus-size can be any sort of body type that may be larger and/or need more support and durability — that can include height, muscularity, weight, etc. Plus-size can also be positively conveyed as it relates to who may be sharing the bed. Do your pets sleep with you? Do your children spend time in your bed reading stories as a family? Does the combined weight of the bed inhabitants need extra support?”
