INDUSTRY UPDATES

Symbol Mattress Taps Sullivan for VP Post

Symbol Mattress has announced the appointment of industry veteran Paul Sullivan to the newly created position of Eastern VP of Sales and Marketing. Symbol executive Todd Nieting will assume the position of Western Vice President Sales and Marketing. Sullivan and Nieting will work together in directing the company’s merchandising and sales efforts through the seven (7) company factories.

In announcing the Sullivan appointment, Nieting said, “We are happy to have Paul join us. Symbol has experienced tremendous growth in sales and facilities requiring additional management expertise. Paul is a seasoned executive with the experience and talents to positively impact Symbol’s future.”

Sullivan added, “I am very happy to be with Symbol. They are committed to a national strategy and are supporting it with the factories to accomplish that. I look forward to helping the Symbol Team achieve that goal.”

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Night And Day Furniture’s Scooter™ is Now Shipping

The Scooter™, the floor-hugging, free-wheeling, heart-warming new rolling sensation, with its modern-something fresh look, is ready to roll-on home. The Scooter™ is now in stock.
Designed by Pete Dodge for Night and Day Furniture, The Scooter™ is a stylish, useful and fun piece of futon furniture.

“Converting the Scooter™ to a bed, this baby not only rolls away from the wall, but you can roll it around the room and set it up where you want it. Very sweet and very cute,” says Mike Gallawa about his latest. “And the Scooter™ does get people’s attention. It’s very cool.”

“It’s no surprise that the Scooter™ also uses Night and Day Furniture’s patented Shoe Fittings™ operating system, for easy operation and assembly. Check it out.” Gallawa said.

For more information on the Scooter and the full line of products in the Night & Day catalog call 360-573-3309.

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Burlington Futon Company Adds Private Label Futons To Wholesale Line

Burlington, VT – Mark Binkhorst, President of Burlington Futon Company, announces the rollout of a new line of futons. These futons were exhibited at the Futon and Specialty Sleep Expo in Philadelphia in March of this year and are now available to retailers nationwide.

The Burlington Futon Company is offering futons that provide a special niche in the marketplace. Having made futons for nearly 20 years, Binkhorst and retail manager Christine Kelsey had a clear idea of the new style of futons they wanted to create. He offered this explanation, “While the trend today with many futons is ‘more is better’, our approach was to develop a line of futons that provide comfort, longevity, ease of handling, and uniform thickness. All of our futons offer a no–flip design and a lean profile that will accommodate a standard futon cover. Our futons are not so thick that your customers have difficulty touching their feet to the floor, nor will they need to be a superhero and fight the futon in opening and closing the frame or changing the cover. Our futons are designed to bend easily and sit better on the frame than a thick futon. We believe there is a large segment of futon customers that will prefer the appearance of a ’lean profile’ futon without any sacrifice in comfort.”

“We turned to Otis Bed for the manufacturing because of their reputation for quality, knowledge of foam and fiber and their ability to vacuum-pack and ship anywhere,” said Binkhorst enthusiastically. Ordered directly from Burlington Futon Company, these futons are drop shipped from the manufacturer directly to your customer or to your store. As a vacuum-packed futon, it can fit in the back seat of your customers’ cars, eliminating the need to schedule a delivery.

In a related move, Burlington Futon Company will now represent the full line of Otis Bed Manufacturing futons throughout New England and is looking forward to working with the customers in that area.

For more information, contact Burlington Futon Company at (800) 862-5986 or email info@burlingtonfuton.com.

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Futon Life Survey Web Site Winner Announced

Futon Life recently announced the winner of its second annual retail survey respondent contest, Quality Furniture, Inc. 2117 S. Stoughton Rd. Madison, WI. Randomly drawn from 137 responding companies, Quality Furniture’s Doug and Patricia Chase Atwater opted to pick free links on the high traffic Futon Life web site directing consumers to their site at http://www.explorewisconsin.com/qualityfurniture.

This year’s survey is included in this issue of Futon Life and we solicit all your responses as we continue to quantify the futon sofa sleeper market and collect the data needed for business and market planning.

The way we all work and do business is changing. Futon Life continues to supply the industry with the statistics and analysis needed to navigate the shifting retail and manufacturing landscape. Special thanks to Doug and Patricia Atwater of Quality Furniture and all the other respondents for taking the time to complete the survey instrument and mailing it in.

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Dream On Introduces “Feet on the Floor” Futon Wedge

Dream On Futon announces the introduction of a simple, functional new product, the Futon Wedge. This foam wedge levels the slanted seat inherent in all futon frames, making it flat. When using the Futon Wedge, you also eliminate the need for a futon 'gripper'.

This is a perfect product for a shorter person whose feet don't touch the floor, and for those who want it to be easier to get up out of the futon frame. It also is appealing to people who want their futon set to have the 'flat-seated' look of their other upholstered furniture.

The Futon Wedge comes in 3 sizes: full/queen, loveseat, and 28" chair. The full/queen is $15, with a suggested retail (msrp) of $32.

See us at the San Francisco Mart, July 16 - 19, 2004, Mart 1, Showroom 737. For additional information on this or other products, contact Dream On Futon at 800-404-9501.

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Two New Sales Reps Named at Gold Bond

HARTFORD (CT) _ Independent sleep product manufacturer Gold Bond announced the addition of two new representatives to its sales force effective immediately, Gold Bond President Robert J. Naboicheck announced. The two are expected to complement the company’s ongoing expansion and to bring new product introductions to leading retail establishments.

Timothy J. O’Flaherty of North Providence, R.I., will represent Gold Bond in Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Mr. O’Flaherty was previously in retail sales at Cardi’s Furniture of Rhode Island.

Bruce L. Gelbard of Freehold, N.J. will represent Gold Bond in Central and Southern New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. Mr. Gelbard formerly represented King Koil and United Sleep Products.

For additional information, please contact Bob Naboicheck or Gold Bond Vice President of Sales and Marketing Andrew Freedman at 800-873-8498.

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Omni Website Attracting Attention

Omni’s user friendly website has been attracting a lot of attention during the past 6 months. General Manager Marcia Nachreiner says, “Our retail customers, and consumers alike find our website invaluable. Design ideas, new styles, current information and up to the minute news can all be found by simply logging on to www.omnisoftgoods.com.”

The website showcases the entire line of Omni fabrics, the Omni Recipe Book, the latest news and many other pieces of information that keep the customers informed and up to date. “Consumers have access to the basic information on the main site and distributors have access, via password, to an additional second tier that contains more business related information and news,” Nachreiner said.

For more information, log on to www.omnisoftgoods.com or contact one of our Sales Consultants at 800-283-8037.

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Futon Association Documercial in final phase of production

The Futon Association International will be releasing its first ever television based PR program later this summer. The half hour documercial, produced by TVA Productions based in Studio City, CA, will feature footage of the latest products available from Association member manufacturers and retailers nationwide.

The theme of the half hour “Business World News” program will focus on the benefits of flexible futon sofa sleepers, and how well they fit into today’s homes and lifestyles. The program talks to the features and benefits of futon furniture including comfort, value, and style and other key messages like versatility, dual purpose functionality, and the universal fashion appeal of this product’s easy change upholstery covers.

The “report” takes advantage of footage from the recent Futon & Specialty Sleep EXPO in Philadelphia, and features interviews with Bob Naboicheck, Shari Hammer, Tony Wolf, John Christiansen, Brian Donohoo, John Widley, Mary Lou Rath, Rachel Taylor, Association President Pattie MacMillen and others. The program then travels on to a retail store where the product’s three component parts are detailed and previewed for what each brings to the mix. All along the way viewers are reminded about the comfort and value of today’s futon furniture.

The video will be part of TVA’s Media Blitz!® Package that includes a TV, print, and radio campaign that will generate an estimated 43 million gross viewer impressions. The program will also be featured for one month as part of the in-flight program of a major airline to be determined.

For more information contact FAI at 800-327-3262.

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Gold Bond Futon Sales Training Program Emphasizes Comfort to Retailers Here, Abroad

Gold Bond’s Retail Sales Training Program is now newly refined to teach retail sales personnel the proven, established and successful methods in selling new lifestyle futon furniture.

One statistic remains constant: comfort closes sales. A 2004 industry survey confirms it: comfort and support rate 9.2 in importance on a 10 point scale with consumers shopping for sofa sleepers. Gold Bond’s futon sales training program was first initiated by President Bob Naboicheck to emphasize comfort and other consumer-oriented needs. The training program has grown into an essential component of the Gold Bond retail program.

Gold Bond’s training seminars are provided by Gold Bond Representatives Stuart Glasser, Ed Pyne, Alan Marshall, Jonathan Mink, Ken Durand, Marvin Yeshiva, John Worley, Dave Bartlett, Bob Weinberg, David Dubosar, Tim O’Flaherty and Bruce Gelbard and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Andy Freedman.

The commitment to Gold Bond retailers keeps sales personnel continually on the road. Bob Naboicheck also provides sales training. He has been traveling most weekends this year-- in the past four months he’s seen customers in 30 states and four countries.

The program educates futon retailers about new products and new ways to offer “unbelievable comfort, and why premium mattresses provide such tremendous value” and key step-by-step selling processes. With due respect to the beauty of the fashion covers and stylish furniture, the focus of a futon sale is on comfort, which is delivered by the mattress. Such sales programs help keep futons one of today’s most vibrant categories in the home furnishings industry.

“Our futons rival traditional sofa seating comfort at a fraction of the price…they’re a genuine value. Hundreds of retailers big and small come to Gold Bond for unparalleled quality, comfort and overall value. We teach this as a step by step process,” Vice President of Sales and Marketing Andy Freedman says.

’Comfort Closes Sales’

“Retailers must maximize the performance of each product they offer. Gold Bond’s job is to partner with retailers, to show a sales force how our products work. We share our worldwide experiences every business day,” Gold Bond President Bob Naboicheck says.

Andy Freedman adds, “Retailers tailor showrooms and futons’ appearance to appeal to their own markets. In this regard the futon is a chameleon. But remember, comfort closes sales.
“We visited a high end Massachusetts furniture store. The owner turned his nose up at the very notion of futons on his showroom floor. It’s a store where $2,200 sofas are the thing. Their concern centered on their image, on price points,” Mr. Freedman says. “They viewed the futon as, well, not their cup of tea.

Sales Training Creates ‘Huge Winner’

“We presented today’s new futons. Once they accepted the notion and saw the potential, understood the comfort-to-cost ratio inherent in our futon program, they floored a program. Then the sales training program was initiated. Training provided product confidence and excitement. Now they promote futons’ comfort. It is a plus that futons make a decidedly ‘in’ fashion statement. Futons are a huge winner for this company now,” he says. “It brings results that are well known to retailers’ accounting departments; numbers go up after Gold Bond’s sales training is complete.”

Over 30 Percent Growth Not Uncommon

One conservative New England retailer says, “I did not want to see these guys but they kept after me. I kept saying ‘not now’ and ‘hey, we’re OK with what we have’. Finally I let them in. They provided an intense sales training session. Five weeks later, our futon sales numbers were up over 35 percent, and we’re still growing thanks to that meeting in which ‘comfort’ was emphasized. We now schedule them in on a regular basis.”

Gold Bond strives to remain true to its independently owned, family-run, 105 year-old history in which retailers are partners and friends, and strong two-way communications are prized.

For more information, please contact Bob Naboicheck or Andy Freedman (800) 873-8498 or visit www.goldbondfuton.com.

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Omni Goes To The Great Outdoors

With their Summer fabric update, Omni announced the introduction of two fabrics and a trim that are weather and fade resistant! Fabrics, Weather Palm, and Weather Tan Stripe were introduced to customers in early June along with Weather Herbal Braid. These fantastic fabrics and trim will work wonderfully in rooms with lots of exposure to the sun and/or elements. Marcia Nachreiner General Manager says, “These additions are truly the product of customer requests. So many of our customers were asking for something that would work on a sun porch, it was only natural for us to add these to our line.” Botanical and tropical looks are so hot right now, and the “Weathers” keep right up with that trend.

For more information on these or any fabrics from Omni, call 800-283-8037 or log on to www.omnisoftgoods.com.

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WHITE LOTUS: Twenty Four Years of Natural Handcrafted Quality

Coinciding with Earth Day 2004, White Lotus Home of Princeton and New Brunswick, NJ celebrates their twenty-fourth year in operation. “Since 1981, White Lotus (formerly White Lotus Futon) has been making, entirely by hand, mattresses and pillows from natural fibers like cotton and wool and offering furniture for the home crafted from sustainably harvested domestic hardwoods without toxic finishes,” said company owner Theodore Casparian.

“A handmade all-cotton mattress from White Lotus is free of toxins, more comfortable, more supportive, biodegradable and inexpensive (most under $300),” Casparian said. White Lotus also offers a variety of other mattresses and pillows based upon this Earth-friendly model, using other natural materials like wool and rubber (from rubber trees), buckwheat hulls, kapok (from ceiba trees) and selected conventional materials chosen for their diminished impact on the planet.

White Lotus and its partner woodworkers are unique in their adherence to strict standards of Earth stewardship in furniture production. “In addition to the environmental benefits of utilizing carefully selected hard woods like ash, maple, walnut and cherry from sustainably managed United States forests, the concomitant pride in handcrafting furniture with the Earth's benefit in mind leads to superior quality and longevity of the final product,” Casparian said. All finishes used are chosen with health and safety as top priorities. “Finally, White Lotus is committed to empowering people to use their wallets to help themselves and our Earth at the same time, and so it makes an effort to keep prices affordable,” Casparian added. As such, everything sold at White Lotus is the very best available, while only slightly more costly than shoddy goods which also destroy our Earth and provide poor value, as they must be replaced more often.

For further information, contact Theodore Casparian at (609) 683-7408 or visit them on the web at www.whitelotus.net.

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Harvey Bigelow Designs New All wood Sofa Buddy

New England manufacturer Harvey Bigelow Designs has teamed with California’s Sofa Buddy, Inc. to build the first all-wood Sofa Buddy utility table.

Described in recent advertising as a “Combo Coffee-Dining-Work Table”, it was designed to complement futons and sofa beds but until recently only the original steel and glass-top model was available for sale.

But Harvey Bigelow changed all that. Tapping into years of design experience, he developed and built the first all-wood prototype of this unique, new item that he and inventor, Robert Daniel, believe could be a winner in the marketplace.

“As soon as I saw it,” said Bigelow, “I knew it had potential – something you could eat off, or work on, and all from the comfort of your futon sofa. What a great way to watch TV. And, when you’re done, there are no storage problems – just push it away, (on its wheels) and it’s your coffee table again.”

This all-wood product has attractive Mission overtones that will complement most settings, from traditional to modern. And in keeping with Bigelow’s strict adherence to quality, it uses only high-grade, indigenous American hardwoods.

In conclusion, Daniel said, “We’re proud to say we have a product that’s made in the USA by Americans, for Americans – sadly, an increasing rarity.”

For more information contact Harvey Bigelow at (508) 675-6920 or Robert Daniel, at (323) 874-1500.

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Futon Life Web Site Number One search engine destination

The Futon Life Magazine web site (www.futonlife.com), a pioneer in providing its entire content on the web, has become the destination choice for consumers looking for futon furniture. During a recent check of the top search engines www.futonlife.com came up number one on Yahoo®, MSN, Lycos and Alta Vista, and number two on the top rated Google® for the search word “futon”.

“We are very proud to have captured the top spot for futons on the web,” said Futon Life Publisher, Joe Tatulli. “By developing content that educates consumers, answers their questions, and helps them make the choice to purchase futon furniture our site is an asset for all our advertisers and the industry at large.”

The site routinely garners over 20,000 unique visitors per month with an average 3.7 page views per visit.

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