Christine Foster
three PR
cfoster@3atlanta.com
Katie O’Neill
three PR
koneill@3atlanta.com
--Furniture retailer sees phenomenal results with new luxury mattress line--
(ATLANTA and EAST TAUNTON, MASS. – November 27, 2006) – Simmons Bedding Company’s new Beautyrest Black™ mattress line is enjoying great success at Jordan’s Furniture, one of the country’s premier furniture and bedding retailers. The Beautyrest Black™ line uses Advanced Pocketed Coil™ springs, as well as opulent fabrics, to create a truly luxurious sleep experience. Sales of the beds have exceeded expectations since Jordan’s began carrying the line two months ago.
“Today’s luxury consumer wants to know what they are buying, and the Beautyrest Black™ line is demonstrably different from other high-end mattresses,” said Lorie Silva, general manager of bedding operations at Jordan’s. “Simmons provides very effective sales training and point-of-purchase materials that help communicate the line’s features, the reasoning behind its development, and why consumers should consider purchasing a luxury bedding product. We replaced another well-known luxury mattress brand with the Beautyrest Black™ line, and Simmons’ support made that transition extremely smooth. When you work with a company like Simmons, it’s a complete partnership.”
Jordan’s decided to carry six Beautyrest Black™ models after determining that the beds aligned with the store’s three principles—value, product innovation, and customer satisfaction. Jordan’s believed that consumers would recognize the Beautyrest® name as a brand they know and trust and would appreciate the innovation behind the bed’s Advanced Pocketed Coil™ technology.
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Beautyrest Black at Jordan’s/page 2
“Jordan’s Furniture’s experience with the Beautyrest Black™ line shows that there is a definite need for a luxury brand from Simmons on retail floors,” said Mark Owen, brand director of the Beautyrest Black™ line. “While Beautyrest Black™ bedding builds upon the tradition and brand equity of Simmons’ flagship Beautyrest® line, it holds its own position in the marketplace. We have been delighted at the consumer response to the new Beautyrest Black™ mattresses, and we look forward to expanding our placements of the line in the coming months.”
Simmons developed the Beautyrest Black™ line for consumers who want luxury bedding products because of the enhanced experiences they provide. The line features comfort layers of silk, wool, and alpaca, layers of memory foam and natural latex, and a circular knit fabric containing modal yarn and cashmere. It is the only mattress line to contain 100 percent Advanced Pocketed Coil™ springs, an exclusive technology that features three coils woven together for superior motion separation and improved durability.
“We conducted a tremendous amount of research when developing the Beautyrest Black™ line to ensure that the beds met existing consumer needs,” said Charlie Eitel, Simmons’ chairman and CEO. “That research has certainly paid off—the Beautyrest Black™ line is positioned well with great direction. And although it has only been four months since its launch at Las Vegas Market, the Beautyrest Black™ line is establishing itself as a force in the luxury bedding market.”
For more information, please visit www.beautyrestblack.com.
About Simmons Bedding Company Atlanta-based Simmons Bedding Company is one of the world’s largest mattress manufacturers, manufacturing and marketing a broad range of products under the brands of Beautyrest®, Beautyrest Black™, BackCare®, BackCare Kids®, DeepSleep®, and Natural Care™. It operates 17 conventional bedding manufacturing facilities and two juvenile bedding manufacturing facilities across the United States and Puerto Rico. Simmons is committed to developing superior mattresses and promoting higher quality sleep for consumers around the world. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.simmons.com.
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Beautyrest Black at Jordan’s/page 3
About Jordan's
Jordan's Furniture, a four-store New England retailer, incorporates beautiful showrooms,
exemplary customer service, and unique entertainment, together creating an entire customer
experience. Combining entertainment with retail, its locations include items such as a 500
seat IMAX 3D theatre, a city made of jellybeans, an indoor trapeze school, a laser-light water
show, a 48-seat motion-simulation theatre, a Mardi Gras show, delicious ice cream, and
much more. With an employee base over 1,500 strong, Jordan's has one of the highest
furniture sales per square foot in the country. The stores are located in Reading, Natick, and
Avon, Mass. and Nashua, N.H. A 900,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art warehouse is located
in Taunton, Mass. and serves as the primary distribution center for the entire company.
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This press release includes forward-looking statements that reflect Simmons’ current views about future events and financial performance. Words such as “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “forecasts” and variations of such words or similar expressions that predict or indicate future events, results or trends, or that do not relate to historical matters, identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are expressed in good faith and we believe there is a reasonable basis for them. However, there can be no assurance that the events, results or trends identified in these forward-looking statements will occur or be achieved. Investors should not rely on forward-looking statements because they are subject to a variety of risks, uncertainties, and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from Simmons’ expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to: (i) competitive pricing pressures in the bedding industry; (ii) legal and regulatory requirements; (iii) the success of our new products; (iv) our relationships with and viability of our major suppliers; (v) fluctuations in costs of our raw materials; (vi) our relationship with significant customers and licensees; (vii) our ability to increase prices on our products and the effect of these price increases on our unit sales; (viii) an increase in our return rates and warranty claims; (ix) our labor relations; (x) departure of our key personnel; (xi) encroachments on our intellectual property; (xii) our product liability claims; (xiii) our level of indebtedness; (xiv) interest rate risks; (xv) compliance with covenants in our debt agreements; (xvi) our future acquisitions; (xvii) a significant change to the timing of the closing of the Simmons Canada transaction; (xviii) our ability to successfully integrate Simmons Canada into our operations; (xix) our ability to achieve the expected benefits from any personnel realignments; and (xx) other risks and factors identified from time to time in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, either to reflect new developments or for any other reason.