David Perry — Furniture Today, August 8, 2012
NATICK, Mass. — Tempur-Pedic has opened its first retail store here in the greater Boston market, part of a new brand-building initiative by the company.
Consumers can shop at the new flagship Tempur-Pedic store at the Natick Mall in Natick, Mass.
“Bed pods” give consumers some privacy to try out beds in the new Tempur-Pedic store.
The 3,500-square-foot store in the Natick Mall is designed to “immerse consumers in the brand experience in a way not possible before,” the company said.
Tempur-Pedic said its products will continue to be available in Boston-area mattress and furniture stores, including longtime Tempur-Pedic dealer Jordan’s Furniture.
“Our objective with this store is to elevate the sales of Tempur-Pedic across our existing customer base by increasing potential owner awareness, interest and knowledge of our products and the Tempur-Pedic brand,” said Rick Anderson, president of Tempur-Pedic North America. “It is also quite possible that the presence of this store will accelerate demand and put customers into the market sooner than they would have otherwise entered.”
The company says it is “redefining” the mattress shopping experience with the Boston store, and with “a handful of other flagship retail stores” that will open in the next year across the country. The second Tempur-Pedic store will open late this year at the Kenwood Mall near Cincinnati.
“Tempur-Pedic has always had a strong focus on establishing a dialogue and engaging directly with the consumer,” said Patrice Varni, vice president of direct-to-consumer sales and marketing for Tempur-Pedic North America. “The opening of our first store is a logical next step. We’re excited to bring our products to life in a retail environment designed to provide product education, build consumer awareness and enhance brand loyalty.”
The Boston store invites consumers to explore the full Tempur-Pedic product line in one place and at their own pace. It offers a no-pressure sales environment that features “an inviting array” of “micro-bedroom” areas. The 12 beds offered are grouped by collection, creating a sense of privacy and inviting consumers to browse and compare mattresses, the company said.
A pillow bar enables consumers to find the pillows best suited to their sleep styles. Consumers can stretch out on the beds, rest their heads on the pillows, and try out an Ergo Adjustable Base.
A focal point of the new store is a large Tempur wall where consumers can interact with the different materials in the beds and learn more about what makes Tempur-Pedic products unique, the company said.
The store showcases the full Tempur-Pedic product line across all categories, including beds, pillows, bed linens, slippers and home and travel products. It also offers products that complement the Tempur-Pedic brand experience, including candles from NEST Fragrances, a luxury home fragrance manufacturer.
In a recent conference call with securities analysts, Tempur-Pedic CEO Mark Sarvary called the stores “brand building” tools. “The idea is to build awareness of the brand and give people the opportunity to try it and the expectation is, that will lift sales in the area that surrounds it.”
He said the company would open the stores “in a small number of select areas” where it can reach a large number of consumers in places like malls and introduce them to the Tempur-Pedic experience.
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