AT THE MARKET — Bedding sales leader Sealy says

it is stepping down in price here to give retailers some powerful ammunition for promotions.

In its first permanent showroom here (World Market Center B-800), the company is showing its new Sealy Posturepedic Reserve Collection. That limited-time collection features a memory foam model that retails at $599, which is $300 less than the previous starting point for a Posturepedic bed with memory foam.

“The Reserve Collection offers features and benefits normally reserved for higher-end beds at $1,000-plus price points,” said Mark Delahanty, vice president of marketing for Sealy Posturepedic. “It provides tremendous opportunity for retailers and great value for consumers.”

The collection features the Posturepedic innerspring, cushioned with memory foam. The knit fabrics and plush feels of the beds offer a strong retail profit story, Sealy said.

Sealy officials say that 75% of all mattresses sold cost less than $1,000, and added that they looked for ways to entice more consumers in that price range to buy a Posturepedic.

The four models in the Reserve Collection, which will be available starting Feb. 15, target retail price points of $599 to $899 and include a range of designs from ultra plush to an ultra plush Euro pillowtop. Features include memory foam, upgraded knit fabrics, plusher feels and substantial profiles that stand out on retail floors, according to Sealy.

Each model combines the Posturepedic innerspring, which responds to the body’s weight and motion, with Sealy’s UniCased construction. Sealy says those elements combine to deliver on Posturepedic’s promise to provide consumers with orthopedically correct support.

“We’ve created an exciting marketing program for this special collection to help our retailers,” Delahanty added. “We’re putting a national advertising plan behind the initiative and the beds will showcase a unique top-of-bed treatment and label that visually distinguish them from other beds on the retail floor.”