To These Mattress Industry Entrepreneurs “Green” and Real Value are a Commitment, Not a Marketing Gimmick!

Since October of 2005 the seven owner–operated licensees that serve national or regional territories across the country with strong regional brands, purchased the Englander brand from La-Z-Boy’s® England® company and unified the company by creating Englander Sleep Products, LLC. When it came time for Englander to appoint a president, the company turned to industry veteran Kevin Toman, who is a mattress/bedding guy stretching back decades with considerable experience both in retail and in mattress manufacturing. Toman has worked for all three of the leading “S” brand manufacturers, and he has served as the president of another one of the top fifteen mattress companies for two years. Toman has brought a real understanding of the mattress industry to Englander, focusing on the needs of retailers and their customers … including strategic product development and building strong retail relationships.

“Our Shades of Green” Launched in Vegas at Showroom C-1301

Englander takes the company’s commitment to the evolving “Green” marketplace very seriously. Mark Savel, head of Englander’s marketing committee informs BEDROOM that the company has chosen to take a leadership position in defining the “Green” market for their retailers and consumers with the company’s theme “Our Shades of Green” at the February 2009 Las Vegas Market. Englander will introduce its newest organic beds and this educational and advocacy theme from its new, high-traffic showroom located right off the escalator in the front of the 13th floor in showroom C-1301. Savel explains that Englander believes that consumers and retailers need to understand what they are getting with so-called green products. Without knocking any one competitor, Savel indicates that there are many manufacturers claiming to offer green products but who really have only a very small percentage of materials that are sustainable, non-petroleum-based or truly green.

When retailers enter the new showroom they will be introduced to point of purchase and educational materials that will define Englander’s “Our Shades of Green” program. It will break out various “Green” mattress collections specifying product features and what Englander means by “Organic,” “Natural,” and Eco-Friendly.” The “Organic” or healthiest products include both Nature’s Finest Latex and Innerspring collections featuring certified organic New Zealand wool, certified organic cotton, 110%, pure natural rubber latex (from rubber trees), recycled steel innersprings and the company’s sustainable wood foundation. When a consumer purchases an “Organic” mattress and foundation from Englander, the company backs up their marketing message and their promises with an Organic Certification Brochure spelling out that “Certified Organic” means that that the item has been grown or raised according to strict uniform standards that are verified by independent state or private organizations. This certification process includes inspection of farm fields and processing plants with detailed record keeping and periodic testing of soil and water to ensure that growers and handlers are meeting the standards which have been set. Englander assures their organic products customers that, “Nature’s Finest Organic Sleep Systems” are as organic as possible based on today’s agricultural and manufacturing environment. They contain only certified organic wool, 100% organic cotton fabric, eco-certified natural rubber latex, organic wood and recycled steel. They are the purest organic mattresses available with no fillers and no poly foams.”

Englander’s “Natural” products represent the second category in the “Shades of Green” program. These include Nature’s Finest Latex beds featuring 100%, pure natural latex made from the sap of the rubber tree; soy-based polyfoam, natural fiber covers, and a sustainable foundation.

Eco-friendly products represent the third or “healthy” category of the “Shades of Green” program and feature visco memory foam and innerspring collections with soy-based visco-elastic memory foam, soy-based poly foam, natural fiber covers, recycled steel innersprings and sustainable wood foundations.

Among the top fifteen nationally-branded mattress manufacturers, Englander really can hold the high ground on the “green issue.” Back in the mid-1990’s Englander was the only major brand to embrace the concept of natural sleep. Other than Englander the only real advocates for natural, all-natural and so-called alternative sleep solutions were small emerging boutique “specialty sleep” companies. Englander was the one nationally-branded company to advocate an all-natural sleep product. In 1996, long before the major innerspring companies were really embracing latex rubber bedding, Englander introduced the company’s Nature’s Finest 100% Natural Rubber “Laytex” sleep systems made from rubber tree sap imported from Sri Lanka. Most companies at that time were still embracing traditional poly foam or were just beginning to explore the use of petroleum-based memory foam. So if Englander strikes a cord of being “true-believers” in defining green, it is because this national brand is no recent arrival to the “green” concept. They pioneered it on a national level. They have embraced it. They believe it with their heart and soul. In fact they believe in accurately defining “green” and the term “organic” so much that the company posts a consumer warning on their website: “Buyer Beware: There are degrees of organic.” Products that contain at least 70% organic ingredients may label those on the ingredient listing.

” Entrepreneurial, Personal, Responsible … Giving Back

Savel says that the consumer “if given a chance wants to give something back. As entrepreneurs, we see a business opportunity in tapping into the desire to make better, cleaner, smarter purchases. We at Englander want to design, develop and offer products that meet the comfort, health and lifestyle needs of our consumers, but also give an environmentally responsible choice to the consumer who wants to give back to the community. As owner operators and mattress people, we treat our business, our customers, our products and our retailers on a personal level. We have a responsibility to develop excellent quality products that offer value and performance to our customers and serve the needs of our retailers.”

“The Englander ‘Our Shades of Green’ program is designed to educate the retailer and the consumer, and to give the consumer an educated choice to purchase a “green” bed based on what she wants to give back…what she feels she can afford and is willing to invest in a variety of green choices.” Englander’s certification and booklet program justifies to the consumer what they are buying. “We do not sell to everybody,” says Savel. “We sell to those people who are enjoying the fruits and benefits of a truly green program.”

Flexibility and Creative Product Development

As dedicated bedding entrepreneurs, Englander believes that they have the flexibility and the creativity to help define the future of the mattress category. The company feels so strongly about their green initiative that they reach out to retailers in their advertising messages to inform dealers that “Englander Has Re-invented The Mattress Naturally” from sustainable wood foundations and fabrics of certified organic cotton and New Zealand wool to petroleum-free latex and hand-crafted, two-sided construction. Englander creates beds that “will make a difference in how you sleep, how you feel and how we take care of the environment.” Englander firmly holds its head high stating to their dealers, “It took Englander to reinvent the mattress.” As a minimum, retailers understand that this privately owned company run by mattress executives is designing and developing products that will give its customers an edge, an opportunity to sell real benefits and values to consumers in this tough economy.

Aside from the green issue, Englander has also directly addressed the price value issue of various products by re-introducing the two-sided mattress for retailers who can benefit from the marketing and sales niche two-sided mattresses offer. While the majority of Englander products are one-sided, no flip mattresses, Englander was flexible enough to address the needs of consumers looking for higher value two-sided mattresses. Englander first introduced their Hotel Grand Collection in the winter of 2008. That line was so well received that the company then went on to introduce Englander’s 2-Sided American Spirit Collections. Englander believed that some consumers, feel they get more for their money from a two-sided mattress. At the time, Toman stated, “Our retailers are looking for an edge to help justify rising costs. What better way than giving them double the sleeping surface and all the benefits that come with it.” Toman indicated that Englander bedding executives who are, after all, professional bedding people, did not like the idea of stripping out materials that effect performance, product life and value just to cut costs. “The two-side mattress may not be for everyone,” said Toman. “However for those consumers who want quality materials and construction and a real sense of value, Englander has the flexibility to offer both one-sided and two-sided mattresses.”

Meaningful Personal Relationships

Addressing their retailer relationships, Savel states, that as mattress/bedding entrepreneurs Englander builds and fosters long term personal relationships with furniture stores, department stores, as well as bedding and mattress stores across the country. “We pick and choose who we want to build a relationship with,” says Savel. Speaking of the key executives who own the individual mattress businesses as well as the Englander brand, Savel notes that they may spend as much as 75% of their time on the road meeting face-to-face with retail customers. Savel notes that they are not only offering customized training and messages to their retailers, but they are also looking to develop markets for the future. He notes that the Englander green programs have strong appeal to the young market people between 25 and 35 years of age. Since the company introduced their eco-friendly products, Savel notes that web hits from younger, savvy online consumers have increased considerably.

Discussing Englander’s corporate culture, Savel tells BEDROOM that Englander’s entrepreneurial owners have a social conscience. “We know each of our employees by name. We know each of our retail customers. We run our plants responsibly. We actively look for materials that are eco-friendly, and whenever possible we choose materials that are natural, renewable, and processed without toxins. We have a Director of Social Responsibility. We conduct regular energy usage audits throughout our factories. Whenever possible we use recycled paper for brochures, and other marketing materials. We have an active recycling program for foam and paper, and we are pursuing the use of earth-friendly packaging alternatives including soy-based inks. We think not only about today, but we also are thinking about our world and our business ten years from now. None of us wants to make a product we will be ashamed of when our children take over or when the next generation inherits our businesses,” says Savel.

Retailers seeking more information on Englander and the company’s new “Shades of Green” program are invited to call Englander at: 800-83-SLEEP, visit Englander in Las Vegas at the new Showroom: Building C-1301 or visit www.Englander.com.