Publisher's Forum  VOL 7 NO 4

Futon Past, Present and Future - Some Things to Know and Some Things to Fix

Futon Survey 1996

It has been three years since we've done a retailers futon survey. During this time the futon industry has gone through some major changes. For one, we have grown. Some futon manufacturers are talking growth factors from 25% to 40% per year. A majority of the retailers who responded to the last survey (sales under $1 million), on the other hand, have been facing increased competition from mass merchants, traditional furniture stores and flotation specialists who have broadened their bases to include innerspring futon mattress, futon covers and related products. Another area of change has been the level of acceptance of futon related products throughout the home furnishings industry-at-large. Much more ink has been seen, related to futon furniture, in both of the industry's major trade publications. Some very large mainstream independents, like Art Van and Jordans, have embraced the futon concept, with many other independent chains taking a shot at it too. Futon furniture image still seems to be our biggest problem. Many futon retailers and industry manufacturers still see futon furniture as promotional only. Promotionally priced futon product is still a big part of our segment as well as of the furniture industry on the whole. Companies like Rosalco, Fashion Bed Group and IBC/Sherwood (all of whom have dedicated futon programs) operate outside the core of the futon industry because of this perception of low quality and lower (sometimes bottomless) prices.

The main purpose of this 1996 futon survey is to categorically define exactly where we are as an industry and product category. With these numbers in place we can analyze our current position and then use this information to better plan how to get where we want to be in the future. As a concerned futon retailer I urge you to fill out the survey and send it to us today. It should take all of ten minutes and if you want to get a better picture of what the future holds for futons, then it will be ten minutes well spent.

Setting the Record Straight

In our continuing effort to provide the best and most accurate information to the home furnishings industry about the futon furniture industry we invariably hit a snag now and then. In our last issue's Futon Primer for futon mattresses we apparently hit a raw nerve with some inaccuracies in the polyester part of the primer. I received three very nice letters from companies that deal with polyester batting on regular basis. Each one informed us of several rather profound errors in the primer. To address these issues I submit the following information from a letter written by E. J. Blaeser, R&D Manager, Recycled Products at the fibers division of Wellman, Inc., in Charlotte, NC, in response to the following statements made in last issue's primer.

1. "Polyester adds loft to a new product but because of the nature of this synthetic fiber, much of this loft may soon disappear. This happens as the fiber's memory is changed by body heat.

Polyester heat history (or "memory") is inherently much higher than typical body temperatures (98.6° to 104°F). For this reason polyester will retain loft infinitely longer than cotton. Of course any under-constructed futon will lose loft more quickly."

2. "Polyester does not breath and therefore tends to break down from absorbing body heat and moisture.

Cotton is hydrophilic. In a futon end use cotton's ability to absorb and hold liquids should be considered to be undesirable. The presence of moisture can cause the structure to lose loft and ultimately leads to bacterial growth. Polyester is both naturally hydrophobic and has a heat history much higher than typical body temperatures and, thereof, is infinitely more stable than cotton in the presence of body heat and moisture."

3. "...Cotton performs much better than synthetics do in open flame testing.

For end uses where FR performance is desirable polyester can be engineered with a wide variety FR inherent chemistries. An FR inherent polyester easily out performs cotton in open flame or any other type of flammability test. Further, the government requires all children's sleepwear be constructed of polyester not cotton due to the likelihood of flame spread on cotton."

On issue one we stand corrected. On issue two we still contend that polyester doesn't breath like a natural fiber, admittedly we stand corrected on the absorbtion issue. On number three we have always understood the connection between flame retardency and polyester. The issue we were raising was one of an open flame scenario not one of flame retardency, where polyester shines as a retardant. There is still some evidence that burning polyester, in an open flame, is more dangerous, from the toxicity viewpoint, than burning cotton. All things being equal I was delighted with this response to the primer. Even though it was a response to some errors, from the readers point of view, it was a response none the less. We will be taking a closer look at the aforementioned issues in a later publication but for now all I can say is thanks, and keep those cards and letters coming in.