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Editor's Update on
Glideaway's Sleepharmony
A Follow-Up or Reminder Note to
Mattress Retailers
By: Dale T. Read, Editor-in-Chief
May 26, 2010 - So it is already at least six weeks
since High Point…..and like most busy retailers you were
surprised to see just how many mattress/bedding
manufacturers had showrooms at High Point, NC. Your
schedule was packed. You had some pretty good meetings
with your usual suppliers, and then you even checked out
a few new sources. One of the companies you stopped in
to see was a company called
Glideaway, and they had a whole new thing going
on….It was
 called
sleepharmony Beautiful, tranquil
posters..Sweeping, but peaceful logo..you took notes.
Had a great conversation …They were telling you about a
whole new line up of bedding, but also weren’t they the
folks who said they had done some research and were now
positioning themselves with their sleep harmony to be
like the Target® in the retail space ---offering what
their president Carmi Fredman called “the same value
proposition that Target offers it customers.” We you
don’t have to scramble through you notes to refresh your
memory because here is the story six weeks after the
market:
The simple fact is that Glideaway® Sleep Products
said it was branding its mattress and pillow line as
sleepharmony™, in a move to position it as the “Target”
of value bedding products in the U.S.
“You can be the Kmart or the Target in the value
space. We want to be the latter because we appreciate
conscientious consumers looking for high quality
merchandise at cost effective prices,” said Glideaway
President Carmi Fredman. “We conducted market research,
benchmarked Target’s approach, and took a chapter from
their brand positioning playbook. When it comes to the
bedding industry, consumers can expect the same value
proposition from sleepharmony that Target has captured
in the general retail space.”
To compliment Glideaway’s rebranding, they have
launched a new marketing campaign evoking spa-like
imagery to promote the brand as products offering a high
level of design and performance at a valuable price
point. A new tag line, “revive your sleep,” new logos
and product names that include Balance, Harmony,
Revitalize, Renew, Serenity, and Tranquility, help
differentiate the sleepharmony line from other products
in the marketplace.
“When all the components needed for the ultimate
sleep experience harmoniously come together for our
retailers and their customers, that’s sleepharmony,”
Fredman adds. “From the carefully constructed bases, to
the quality of our mattresses, and even our plush
pillows, Glideaway continues to provide our loyal client
base with unsurpassed comfort and a tranquil all-in-one
shopping experience that remains our standard.”
Founded in the 1920s as a furniture retailer in
Illinois, Glideaway is a full-service bedding
manufacturer and supplier to full-line furniture
retailers, specialty sleep shops, and web-based e-tailers.
Their products include a complete line-up of visco and
latex mattresses, adjustable bed bases, bed frames,
pillows, mattress protection products, headboards and
juvenile beds. Five years ago, Glideaway introduced a
14-mattress lineup. The company also offers pillows and
pillow and mattress protectors all marketed under the
“sleepharmony” brand.
Today Glideaway, headquartered at an 185,000 square
foot facility in St. Louis, Missouri, is still operated
by the family’s 3rd generation with Carmi Fredman as
President. The company has grown to over 140 employees –
many of whom are related – and has warehouse space in
St. Louis, Portland and Los Angeles.
Sales of bigger and heavier bedding continue to grow
and leading retailers have realized the need for high
quality bed frames and rails to provide the required
support. With a complete line of products ready for
immediate shipment, Glideaway continues to surpass
customer expectations, offering retailers a competitive
edge. Having established its reputation as the one-stop
shop for retailers, Glideaway products can be found in
over 30 of the top 100 accounts in the USA along with
several thousand furniture stores.
While Glideaway has updated its product lines, the
original emphasis on great customer-service and quality
products is still at the forefront of operations.
Glideaway remains a leader in designing frames and
center support systems that not only meet but exceed the
warranty requirements of National Bedding Suppliers.
So, you mattress retailers want even more
information? Well, go visit
www.glideaway.com!
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