Posts Tagged ‘simmons beds’

Hastens bedding aims to expand presence in U.S.

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Swedish producer has new program for designers
David Perry — Furniture Today
 Hastens executive Janet Stein, in the company’s new High Point Market showroom, hopes to expand Hastens’ presence in the U.S. market. 

HIGH POINT — This mattress horse is looking to gallop in the United States.

Swedish luxury bedding maker Hastens, whose logo features a horse in full stride, is aiming to put more bounce into its U.S. business. The company recently made its first U.S. showing at the October market here, introducing new high-end lines, rolling out a new program for interior designers, and unrolling a welcome mat for U.S. retailers.

“We are trying to get the word out,” said Janet Stein, country manager for the United States, who introduced the new lines in High Point.

Hastens already is well known in mattress circles. The company says, accurately, that its name “is synonymous with luxurious beds.” Hastens is famous for its blue-and-white check patterns on its ticking, unique to the company, and its all-natural story.
The producer, based in Koping, Sweden, was founded in 1852 and is Sweden’s oldest manufacturers of beds and mattresses. The company started out primarily making saddles and carriage furniture, using horsehair. Mattresses were a sideline at first, and the company stuffed them with horsehair, too. As demand for those cushy mattresses grew, the company focused on that business.

Hastens (“Hast” is Swedish for horse) now specializes in the use of layers of horsehair in its mattresses.

Horsehair, once a common filling material in mattresses, is seldom used these days. But Hastens officials say they continue to make their beds by hand using only natural filling materials, including horsehair, cotton, linen, wool and flax. The company says the beds “are free of all harmful chemicals and other materials that could in any way be detrimental to either the human body or the environment.”

Hastens adds that the natural materials in its beds maintain ventilation, allowing the mattresses to breathe and thus creating the perfect environment for a restful night of sleep.
The beds are pricey: Retails range from $4,850 to a cool $69,750. But Hastens officials say they are worth those prices.
“My aim is that Hastens should provide as much benefit for the end user as possible,” said Jan Ryde, the owner and CEO of the company. “A good night’s sleep gives a better day and in the long run a better life.”

The company made a stylish debut in High Point, using its trademark high-quality photography and attractively dressed beds to stand out. This wasn’t just another mattress showroom.
“We are reaching out to the entire country for potential business partnerships,” Stein said. “We are also reaching out to the interior design community with our new ID program. We would like to gain a greater presence in the U.S.”

Hastens currently sells through 15 U.S. stores, including ABC Carpet and Home in New York, and stores in cities including Los Angeles, Dallas, Grand Rapids, Mich., and Madison, Wis.
The company’s new ID program was created in response to what Hastens says were

requests from architects, interior designers and stylists. It entitles members to preferred pricing on Hastens beds at participating retailers.

“For decades Hastens has been favored by design professionals looking to integrate both beauty and a beautiful night’s sleep into their work,” CEO Ryde said. “With the introduction of the Interior Design Program, we hope to show our immense appreciation.”

Hastens also is introducing three new beds:
 The Hastens 2000T II is a three-part sleep set that features six layers of 100% natural cotton and wool and four layers of horsehair. It retails from $23,000 to $27,000.
 The Excelsior II features two additional layers of cotton, wool and horsehair, replacing the need for a layer of flax. It retails from $13,000 to $15,000.

 The Luxuria, retailing for about $8,000, is a new bed design that features the company’s patented spring system, padded by two layers of horsehair and four layers of 100% natural cotton and wool.

Furniture Rep About to Change the Industry

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

I just returned from Las Vegas where there are definitely some challenges in our industry. Amazingly there was some very upbeat feelings coming out of a pretty good January. I also found some furniture reps taking these challenging times and figuring out how to make something of it. What I plan to do with this blog is to highlight some cool things members of the rep community are doing. My inspiration came from seeing what Chris De Lisa was doing at market.

Chris is a sales executive at Home Line and manages a sales force for them. He is also very active in the Independent Home Furnishings Representative’s Association as the newest member of the IHFRA Executive Committee.

But what really caught my attention is seeing Chris in his own show space at the Las Vegas market. Chris was showing a patent pending electrical device that could change the way all upholstery functions. This device allows consumers to plug a power cord directly into the arm or side of an upholstered piece.

Chris has got his discovery story down about the “Ah-Ha” moment that he came up with the concept for the convenience of having an electrical outlet in the sofa. Just think, a consumer does not have to go looking for plugs behind sofas for the vacuum cleaner, or when a laptop, game boy or IPOD battery loses its charge. You just plug in the cord to the sofa.

The exciting thing about Chris is he didn’t just think it and forget it like most do. Chris thought it, went to work patenting it, hired Kurt Behm to sell it, and then started spending money promoting it. This could very well become the next must have thing that’s added to any upholstery piece and it was developed by a fellow furniture sales rep.

Congratulations Chris on having a great market and best of luck in rolling out the “De Lisa Power System”.

I want to feature as many innovative reps and members of IHFRA from around the country in this blog.

What I would really like is if you can send me innovative ideas you are using to help your retail and design customers or if you are developing a side business. Anything outside of just going in and selling a piece of furniture, I would like to feature.

So if you have a good idea that you are using or pursuing, please email me the idea at meroot@mikeroot.com. I will set up a phone call where we can discuss it. I really want to write about as many reps doing cool things as I can, so please get back to me at your earliest convenience. Thanks

Mike Root

www.furnituretoday.com

Copeland Furniture wins Sage environmental award

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009

Manufacturer honored at AHFA’s Sustainability Summit

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Case goods manufacturer Copeland Furniture was named Wednesday as the winner of the second annual Sage Award sponsored by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and Cargill BioH Polyols.

Copeland was recognized at the AHFA’s second Sustainability Summit, taking place here this week. The Sage Award recognizes excellence in home furnishings through sustainable business practices.

For several years, Copeland has made case goods using wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, which has helped it win Silver Exemplary Status from the Sustainable Furnishings Council, of which it is a founding member.

Copeland now has eight product groups that qualify for FSC certification. The company sources a majority of its wood within 500 miles of its plant in Vermont.

Also at the Summit, Bill Perdue, vice president of environmental affairs for the AHFA, said that Kincaid Furniture would win the organization’s Environmental Excellence Award.

He also said that the AHFA’s Environmental Leadership Award would be presented to Lewis Herman, corporate environmental and facilities engineer at Kincaid, a La-Z-Boy division. Herman is responsible for environmental compliance, oversight and environmental stewardship for La-Z-Boy’s case goods group.

Kincaid’s Sustainable by Design program was the first case goods operation to receive registration from the AHFA.

Hickory Chair was named the first Sage Award winner last year.

Source: www.furnituretoday.com

www.HowardsFurnitureandDecoratingCenter.com