Boyd debuts Thomasville, Lane Collections
David Perry – Furniture Today – 01/20/15
LAS VEGAS — Boyd Specialty Sleep continues its aggressive pace of Las Vegas introductions with a number of new bedding lines and products this market. The St. Louis-based company is headlining its efforts with new specialty bedding lines under its licensed Thomasville and Lane brands that are designed to help retailers boost their sales and gross profits. These are the first Lane-branded beds Boyd has introduced.
The producer is introducing a Thomasville Momentum memory foam line and a latex-based Lane Revitalize series, both featuring gel, which Boyd says offer the technology, looks and cachet that will attract today’s shoppers while providing retailers with high-profit products. Both lines are set for selective distribution, officials said.
An occasional-use air bed called FusionAire and an ultra-modern platform bed design will round out Boyd’s new presentations for market.
“The strategy behind our line introductions is to offer retailers the opportunity to place profit-producing beds on their floors that carry recognized brand names and will not be ubiquitously distributed,” said Denny Boyd, president. “With the many challenges that dealers already face in today’s market, from diminished traffic and Internet competition to disinterested Millennials, we developed these collections to stop profit erosion and potentially to add as many as 10 points to their gross margins.”
The new Thomasville Mo-mentum line delivers exclusive technology, as well as a feel that’s unique among competing gel products, according to Boyd.
The three models, expected to retail in queen from $1,799 to $2,499, incorporate a 100% gel layer that adheres to the gel memory foam layer beneath it, thanks to a new application technology.
The pure gel layer is hole-punched while the gel memory foam is channel-vented, both of which maximize heat reduction and air flow. The lower layers of the beds use Boyd’s Gel Flex foam, made from liquefied gel that’s poured into latex.
Another cooling component is the Celliant fiber included in the line’s cream-colored stretch knit covers. A blue mesh fabric wraps the mattress perimeter of the Thomasville Momentum beds.
The new Lane Revitalize series involves four gel-infused latex models set to retail from $499 to $799 in queen-size. The beds have a venting layer on the side and use a Lyocel material on the bottom for strength and durability.
Lane Revitalize models are dressed in Boyd-designed stretch knits that have a flowing, wavy pattern for a Zen-like look, officials said. The series also uses a mesh treatment around the mattress perimeters and delivers medium-plush to medium-firm feels.
“A fantastic brand in the upholstered furniture market, Lane is now a fresh new brand in the bedding industry,” Boyd said. “Retailers can divert their customers to a specialty sleep product carrying a trusted and recognized name, and generate 55 margin points, especially when that bed is not exposed to a lot of competition.”
To promote the Thomasville and Lane lines, Boyd has developed an array of new point-of-purchase materials, top-of-bed accessories and demonstrator units.
Another introduction that taps a new technology is Boyd’s first air bed using “polyfusion” materials.
The FusionAire mattress, intended as a guest bed, is made from a nylon fabric that’s infused with vinyl, rather than made of 100% vinyl. This outer nylon fabric is molecularly bonded (versus glued) to seal the internal structure and will not stretch with use, officials said.
“Most air beds feel like they’re leaking in the morning because of the ongoing stretch of the vinyl from which they’re made,” Boyd said. “With continued use, the air bed becomes wider and longer, a situation we call ‘vinyl relaxation.’ In the case of FusionAire, the sleeper gets ‘contourability’ without any stretching. The user simply inflates the bed to the level he or she prefers and the mattress will retain that shape.”
The new FusionAire occasional bed is available in twin, double and queen sizes. The bed is set to retail at $149 in queen, which includes the inset pump and carrying bag.
Boyd’s is also introducing a new UPS-shippable platform bed that has a modern, arched profile. Available in a choice of black, white or brown faux leathers, the new design features a covered, cushioned headboard plus covered side rails and foot-board. Available in all sizes, the new platform design is expected to retail at $499 in queen.