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“We had to make room at our table for a partner,” Borreggine said. “It was very much like going from being single to being married.”

Edited by: Melanie Burk-Read, Managing Editor

 

When Therapedic Sleep Products entered into a brand partnership with Kathy Ireland Home, the first thing the mattress maker had to adjust was its independent thinking, according to president/CEO, Gerry Borreggine.

 

“We had to make room at our table for a partner,” he said. “It was very much like going from being single to being married.”

 

“You look for similarities. Do you share core business values? Do you each share the same philosophies about value and pricing? Is product safety a seminal issue for each of you? This list can go on and on,” said Borreggine.

 

In the case of Kathy Ireland Home, the answer was yes to all the pivotal questions for the Therapedic management team.

 

“We were truly blessed to find Kathy Ireland Home as our brand partner,” Borreggine added. “And, we couldn’t have found a more supportive and productive partner than we did in Kathy, herself. Kathy Ireland is a visionary. She clearly sees what her customers want and need from her branded products,” said Borreggine.

 

The Kathy Ireland Home label stands for something important in the consumers mind—it’s quality, value, and product safety. “But what is even more important to me, is that Kathy also happens to be one of the kindest and most caring people I have ever met,” he added.

 

“Business is important, but it’s a genuine blessing when you enjoy the people you have partnered with,” he said. “I can honestly say that Therapedic loves the relationship we have forged with Kathy and her exceptional team.”

 

The two companies share a very basic, yet common goal: That is to make high quality sleep sets, which are comfortable, meet government safety requirements, and are available at multiple prices points, making them affordable to every family.

 

Therapedic inks Borreggine to ‘long-term’ deal

Therapedic has announced that it has entered into a “long-term” employment contract with president/CEO, Gerry Borreggine, according to Norman Rosenblatt, chairman of the group.

 

“We wanted to solidify the leadership role at Therapedic to give us a strong foundation to build both domestically, and internationally. This is even more critical at this time, when some other companies appear to be floundering, and the industry is facing a difficult business climate,” Rosenblatt said.

 

Borreggine has been with the group for five years. He has spearheaded the development of new products, such as AirTouch, and the Kathy Ireland Home partnership. In addition, he has been instrumental in developing brand partnerships with retailers throughout the country, which have yielded millions of consumer impressions, elevating the image and profile of the Therapedic brand, both in the industry and with consumers.

 

“We feel we have the best mattress executive in the business leading our team,” said Rosenblatt. “We wanted to be sure it stayed that way.”

Very early on in the design and manufacturing process Kathy challenged Therapedic, according to Borreggine. She said that she wanted every family, especially every busy mom to be able to afford one of her new sleep sets. She knew of the importance of sleep and the relationship healthy sleep plays in the roles of busy moms in today’s family environment.

 

“I wanted the product to appeal to, and be afforded by, every family, especially every busy mom,” said Kathy Ireland, CEO of Kathy Ireland Worldwide.

 

“Her challenge to us was, to design a quality sleep sets for every segment of the market—low to high,” Borreggine said. “And, with her help, we did it.”

 

The next objective was to make shopping for a new bed an easy and simple process.

 

“Both Kathy and I wanted to remove the mystery of shopping for a new bed. We wanted to make it something every family could do without worry or consternation,” said Borreggine. “That objective became the genesis for our slogan ‘Peaceful nights…peace of mind,’” he added.

 

To help consumers navigate though the confusing display of beds on a retail floor, the first thing Therapedic and Kathy Ireland Home did was to break the many products down by category. They first designed three distinct categories: an entry level category, called Essentials; and higher grade line under the Gallery collection; and a latex line, named First Lady.

“This gave clear definition to the products,” said Borreggine. “It helped the retailer present the product to the consumer in a clean and easy manner.”

 

More recently the line has had a few additions.

 

“We found our retailers asking for more,” said Borreggine, “So we needed to flank the line at the lower end with an open coil line that came in just below the Essentials collection. That line is called A Café. It’s from Kathy’s home collection of kitchen inspirations from Chef Andre. We

described that collection, as a ‘new reason to have breakfast in bed’.” It’s been well received, according to Borreggine, as its opening price point is at the velocity price of $499 in queen size. Next, the design team wanted to flank the latex foam, First Lady collection, with a lower priced foam line. That line was designed under the garden inspirations theme, and based on the design inspirations by Kathy’s Nicholas Walker, her outdoor home consultant.

 

That line is called J du J, for Garden of the Day. It features celadon covers, and uses many natural based components in its production.

 

 

The two-number line begins at $699 and tops out at $999, just below the entry price point of the latex First Lady collection.
“The line fits together so nicely and makes so much sense from a consumer’s point-of-view,” said Borreggine.


“It’s an easy line to sell from the retailer’s perspective, and it’s an easy product to buy as a consumer,” he said.


For more information, contact (800) 314-4433, www.therapedic.com,  or visit them in Las Vegas at B-0822.

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Therapedic Adds New Licensee

Therapedic has added a new licensee, Sleep Worthy of Pinetops, North Carolina to cover the Mid-Atlantic regions for the group. The new licensee will service Virginia and North Carolina.

 

“We are pleased to have such a fine family like the Phillips of Sleep Worthy represent us in such an important region and territory,” said Gerry Borreggine. “We were truly blessed to have come together with them,” he added.

 

“We are proud to be associated with the Therapedic brand,” added Ellis Phillips, III, president of Sleep Worthy. “This will give us a legitimate opportunity to grow our bedding business.”

 

Sleep Worthy, a division of Cotton Belt, Inc., was founded in 1930. Ellis’ son, Bob is the fourth generation of the Phillips family to be involved in the family business. The company also owns Edgecombe Furniture, a manufacturer of upholstery furniture, also located in Pinetops.

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Some See Opportunity in Current Business Climate

With units down for a second consecutive year and a gloomy industry forecast ahead, one key mattress executive is swimming against the tide of common opinion, and is predicting strong growth for his company, even in this “off year.”

 

Norman Rosenblatt, chairman of the Therapedic board of directors, and the owner of Therapedic New England and Ohio licensees, sees this to be a time of great opportunity in the mattress business.

 

“While some may be predicting ‘doom and gloom’ within the industry, I see a very bright and sunny outlook for those who are proactively planning to get the business,” said Rosenblatt.

 

“Bedding producers may have to look outside the traditional venues where they have done business in the past, in order to grow and flourish in the future,” said Rosenblatt.

 

“The ‘same old, same old’ won’t work in today’s economy,” he continued. “We need to look for new ways to capture the business, and not lose market share to other home furnishings purchases.”

 

Most financial analysts agree that the mattress business has been historically resistant to downward turns in the general economy. Conversely, the category typically doesn’t enjoy dramatic spikes in business as do some other industries during bull market economies.

 

“That’s because, until now, we’ve been in a commodity business,” said Gerry Borreggine. “It’s only recently that we have begun selling better sleep, and linking our product to improved health and a healthier lifestyle,” he said.

 

“The foundation for this position has been laid by the Better Sleep Council,” he said of the association he has lead for many years. “The BSC opened our eyes to the potential of selling sleep, and some companies have adroitly capitalized on that position,” he added. “Our biggest competitor for disposable dollars is the flat screen, HDTV’s, which have been romanced and marketed especially well by the home entertainment and electronics industries.”

 

“The shift in the product’s perception by the consumer may be changing, but it will take a shift in the manufacturer’s mentality of how they go after the business that will allow producers to leverage this economy to their advantage,” added Rosenblatt. “We have to look for new ways to do business,” he commented. “We need to strengthen our supplier alliances, tighten our production efficiencies, and deliver strong perceived values to our dealers. We need to be able to give our dealers the tools to make a compelling pitch to their customers—the consumer—about the amazing product benefits and the fantastic values associated with our product,” said Rosenblatt.

 

To accomplish all that on a consistent basis, manufacturers may have to look outside the current methods that they do business today, according to both Rosenblatt and Borreggine.

 

“And, in that lies the opportunity,” said Borreggine.

 

“Those who are clever enough to break out of the box and find new ways to do business will not only survive, but thrive,” said Rosenblatt. “The opportunity is there for those to recognize it.”

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