Waking Up to New Ideas; Traditional Bedding Manufacturers Are Offering a Range of New Products That Go Beyond the Norm.

Byline: Karl Kunkel HIGH POINT, N.C.-Traditional innerspring bedding manufacturers have stirred to life with some highly imaginative specialty beds, as witnessed during July's Las Vegas Market.

No one is abandoning the innerspring category, the anchor for many years. But manufacturers are recognizing that untapped markets await them. Simmons Bedding Co.

offered two new, think-outside-of-the-box lines: Natural Care latex beds and BackCare with Technogel, a unique lumbar-area gel layer. Sealy introduced its SpringFree II Posturepedic line made with a 100 percent latex core and confirmed that it would be adding an airbed later this year. Its sister brand Stearns & Foster is launching its new Tropical Oasis latex foam core line this month.

Sealy also announced that it would open a latex foam plant near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., next year. "Specialty bedding has taken over, especially with Sealy and its latex beds," said Mark Nelson, executive vice president of Sleep Experts, a Carrollton, Texas, retailer.

"It is getting very specialized." Spring Air offered its seven-bed Infinity collection, mixing latex and memory foam core layers with colorful tickings. "Latex is gathering steam," said Jim Nation, chief executive officer of Spring Air.

United Sleep Products, with its new CEO, Marc Werner, has come out of the gate fast with its new Nature's Dreams line, which features a variety of foam cushioning and a focus on more natural products for a natural sleep. Park Place added four new models to its Therapy line, including Aroma Therapy, with scented models in lavender, vanilla or fresh laundry. Englander Sleep Products unveiled its Nature's Spring latex core bed with pocketed springs.

"I think this was inevitable, as the specialty sleep category has grown so rapidly," said Tim Sommer, president of SommerTime Consulting, a firm that works with retail bedding stores and bedding manufacturers. "The big innerspring manufacturers wanted to get a piece of that, particularly because Tempur-Pedic's and Select Comfort's inroads into this market have been very real and very substantial. In the beginning, the innerspring guys got into it as a defensive move and to protect their floor space.

" Sommer noted that some innerspring mattress manufacturers are playing catch-up. "They had produced some product that was not really very remarkable," he said. "Now, this is a legitimate, growing category unto itself.

The consumer is willing to invest in better-quality sleep products." Airbeds have gained acceptance in the marketplace, thanks, in part, to Select Comfort and Comfortaire's efforts. And retailers can expect to see more airbeds being offered by traditional companies, either making them themselves or entering into licensing agreements, as Simmons has done with Boyd Specialty Sleep.

As news about allergies, "green" furniture and healthy living continue to make its way into American homes, so, too, are beds that address these issues. Several manufacturers have come onboard with programs and products liberally sprinkled with the words "natural," "organic" and "environmental" in them. How they will stack up to solid, specialty-niche brands, such as Natura World, Vivetique and Green Sleep, that have quietly targeted this select consumer base over the years remains to be seen.

But look for materials such as organic cotton, silk, virgin wool and latex foam to become even more important in the bedding marketing scene. Gunnar Hedman, partner in Wildflower Organics, an Austin, Texas, retailer, will pay closer attention to these offerings, especially as this market emerges. His clientele insist on organic materials in their beds, so he studies new entrants to this select category carefully.

"When you go organic, you get very technical," he said. Sommer noted that "more and more people, given the choice, will now select a more natural product. They just haven't had many choices in that regard.

" Caption(s): The Natural Care line from Simmons has latex foam and other natural materials. / Spring Air's Infinity line includes latex and memory foam layers. / Sealy's new Posturepedic SpringFree II features a 100 percent latex core.