David Perry
ATLANTA — Simmons is introducing new bedding lines and features this summer as it seeks to maintain what company officials describe as its strong momentum.


Among the intros, set to debut in Las Vegas next month: a high-end Beautyrest line and the addition of gel technology to its BackCare line.

Simmons is kicking off its new luxury Beautyrest line, which it is calling Beautyrest Black, with a breakfast briefing July 24 at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas. A shuttle will then ferry reporters to the company’s World Market Center showroom, space 525 to see the “revitalized” BackCare line featuring zoned technology and what the company is calling Technogel.

Simmons will be the first major bedding producer to enter the gel arena. One of the first gel bedding introductions was made at the April High Point market by Thurmo-Pudic USA, which has a visco foam that incorporates gel and has a gel-like feel. Thurmo-Pudic President Tom Morgan predicted then that gel technology would be the next major innovation to hit the bedding industry.

Simmons won’t unveil the specifics of its Technogel product until the Las Vegas launch.

The company also is expanding its specialty sleep offerings with a line of all-latex beds called Natural Care. Latex bedding is gaining momentum at retail, bedding producers say.

Simmons says the broad rollout of new products is designed to drive the company’s business in the coming months.

While Simmons lost ground last year — a 2% sales decline gave the company wholesale bedding shipments of $849 million for 2012 — it bounced back in the first quarter of this year. Wholesale bedding sales increased 14.4% and net income was $6.4 million compared with a loss of $2.2 million in the year-earlier quarter.

Simmons CEO Charlie Eitel said the first quarter progress resulted from the company’s emphasis on making its business “leaner and more competitive” in the marketplace. He also said that Simmons’ current product lines “are being well received by our customers, and, as a result, we have gained market share.”

Earlier this year, Simmons adopted a new sales structure that included the creation of a centralized dealer services, or CDS, structure. The CDS approach provides specialized sales, merchandising, marketing and advertising support to smaller Simmons dealers.

Simmons officials say the new CDS structure is providing improved levels of service to more than 2,100 retailers.

“The overall business for the CDS base has grown,” said Tim Oakhill, senior vice president of marketing at Simmons. The new structure provides “improved interaction” between smaller retailers and Simmons, he said.

“We feel that what we are doing to service them is the right thing,” Oakhill said.

The new structure followed a realignment of the sales force that resulted in the elimination of a number of sales rep positions.

The CDS team communicates with retailers through e-mail, telephone and fax rather than by personal visits of sales representatives. Events like the April High Point market, when Simmons focused on dealers served by the CDS structure, do give the structure a personal face, according to Simmons officials.

Jim Sharkey, director of centralized dealer services for Simmons, said the new approach “is going well for dealers who previously did not receive the level of service they needed.” He added: “We continue to identify and address issues and opportunities for our smaller independent dealers. The tools we have created seem to be aligned with what they need.”